A Novice Journey to Building a Bag. (Help Appreciated)

[retoid]

First off please forgive me if this is not a proper post or not in the proper location, still learning the ropes around here.
Second, it's important that I mention I am very new to the game with only about 10 rounds of golf under my belt, most being 9 holes. Only this year have I started playing 18. That being said, I am hooked, love the game and am very eager to learn and improve. To give you an idea of my skill, the last 2 18 rounds I played were 110 and 105. Not great at all, however I am slowly improving as I learn. Had been having bad slicing issues with the driver and hybrids but after playing some more and hitting the range, I've been able to improve on that quite a bit and have been hitting more straight on average. Irons have always come easier to me as far as hitting straight for some reason. Wedges have needed a lot of improvement, but I practice chipping about 20-30 mins about 3-5 times a week and that's helped a lot.

Today I went to the range and started to note down some distance data, mind you I am averaging the distances based off my best guess compared to the distance markers on the range. I do not currently own a range finder or tracker.
From reading some similar posts I do understand that filling gaps is ideal, but I am having a some issues figuring out those gaps and understanding which clubs to keep and remove as some gaps are minimal between clubs. Below is an image of the chart I put together showing the clubs and average distances I've been hitting and power applied.

For some reason I am hitting my hybrids around the same distances and I am not sure why. Wondering if one of them should be removed. I didn't notice a huge loft difference either.
The irons I have are hand me downs from my grandfather and after playing with them a bit, I feel like they're just not giving me what could potentially be there. The feel is a bit hard/harsh and underwhelming if that makes sense and I can't seem to get decent distances from them. Wondering if I should be looking to invest in some more updated irons and if those should be muscle backs or cavity backs? My knowledge here is minimal.

I have never played with modern fairway woods, only the classic clubs that are actually wood and much smaller than modern clubs. I recently removed the 4 and 5 woods from my bag as I was never using them and I don't hit them very well or very far. Wondering if I should look into some more modern fairway wood options?

I appreciate any feedback or advice anyone is willing to give, please forgive my lack of knowledge. I am eager to learn!
Thank you.

 

[pganapathy]

A couple of things.  Some of the clubs in your bag should be dropped immediately.  A 2-iron for example with what obviously seems to be a lower swing speed or possibly not great swing yet is a definite no-no.  To be hitting that 120-140 yards, which I assume includes run, is a sign that you are not getting the ball airborne at the correct angle to maximise distance.  The reason your 3 and 5 hybrid are going the same distance is that your launch angle is better with the 5.  Loft is your friend.

Ideally I would suggest going to a golf or sporting store where you can hit golf balls on a simulator without being disturbed to understand your club carry distances and hopefully swing speed.  With that information we can definitely guide you better.

[boogielicious]

I agree with @pganapathy about removing some clubs. I would recommend removing the 2, 3, 4 and 5 irons for now. Play with

1. Driver
2. 3W
3. 5W
4. 3H
5. 5H
6. 6 iron
7. 7 iron
8. 8 iron
9. 9 iron
10. PW ( you don’t have listed)
11. 52
12. 56
13. Putter

Th 60 wedge can be difficult for new players, but you could keep that If your 3H is adjustable, increased the loft to be more like a 4H.

Play with these on course and see if you can get a feel of the actual yardages for each club and especially the gaps between them. It may take 10 or more rounds. A par 3 course is helpful for determining the gaps in the irons and some woods too.

A device like a Shot Scope H4 can really help give you your actual yardage on course.

[snapfade]

I would not do anything until I met with an instructor and got your swing looked at. There are some obvious better club options out there though. Spend 50 bucks on a lesson, practice and start piecing together a bag that works for you. Enjoy the journey.  

[retoid]

8 hours ago, pganapathy said:

A couple of things.  Some of the clubs in your bag should be dropped immediately.  A 2-iron for example with what obviously seems to be a lower swing speed or possibly not great swing yet is a definite no-no.  To be hitting that 120-140 yards, which I assume includes run, is a sign that you are not getting the ball airborne at the correct angle to maximise distance.  The reason your 3 and 5 hybrid are going the same distance is that your launch angle is better with the 5.  Loft is your friend.

Ideally I would suggest going to a golf or sporting store where you can hit golf balls on a simulator without being disturbed to understand your club carry distances and hopefully swing speed.  With that information we can definitely guide you better.

I'll be honest, the only reason the 2 iron was in my bag is because I tend to hit the ball into the tree's fairly often. And I was using it to help me keep the ball very low to get out of the tree's while avoiding getting much loft to hit branches.
I guess I can drop the 3H as well. Would it be wise to give a higher loft fairway wood a try as well, something like a 26 degree?

I believe there is only one golf shop where I live that has a golf simulator and trainer. I see they offer free fitting with a purchase from the fitter. I'll have to check how much they charge without a purchase, I've read a few stories about fitters on this forum that just wanted to sell the person the most expensive clubs and that kind of deters me a bit. They do offer lessons as well. I'll give them a call and ask them a bit more about these services.
Thank you!

[retoid]

4 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I agree with @pganapathy about removing some clubs. I would recommend removing the 2, 3, 4 and 5 irons for now. Play with

1. Driver
2. 3W
3. 5W
4. 3H
5. 5H
6. 6 iron
7. 7 iron
8. 8 iron
9. 9 iron
10. PW ( you don’t have listed)
11. 52
12. 56
13. Putter

Th 60 wedge can be difficult for new players, but you could keep that If your 3H is adjustable, increased the loft to be more like a 4H.

Play with these on course and see if you can get a feel of the actual yardages for each club and especially the gaps between them. It may take 10 or more rounds. A par 3 course is helpful for determining the gaps in the irons and some woods too.

A device like a Shot Scope H4 can really help give you your actual yardage on course.

Thank you, currently I only had the 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 irons in the bag. I was never finding myself in a situation to use the 4 and 5 so I dropped those a while ago.
The 60W is what I've been practicing with the most in the back yard, but that's only with short chipping. I don't think I've ever practiced hitting my wedges at 80% - 100% apart from yesterday. Maybe I should be doing that more. Generally I would be using a 9 iron if I was out about 75 yards or so.
I am not really sure I understand your mention of the 60W and 3H. Aren't these going to be giving me completely different results? Unfortunately I am not able to adjust the loft on the hybrids I have.

I looked into the Shot Scope H4 you suggested and this seems really neat and handy, however I am struggling to understand how it works. Am I correct in assuming it doesn't track the ball distance until you hit the ball a second time? Say I drive from the tee and walk up to my ball, tag the next club and hit the ball. Is it at this point when I tag my next club while standing next to my ball that is knows the distance?

2 hours ago, snapfade said:

I would not do anything until I met with an instructor and got your swing looked at. There are some obvious better club options out there though. Spend 50 bucks on a lesson, practice and start piecing together a bag that works for you. Enjoy the journey.  

Thank you, I am going to give the local shop a call and check their prices and see what they can offer.

[boogielicious]

58 minutes ago, retoid said:

Am I correct in assuming it doesn't track the ball distance until you hit the ball a second time? Say I drive from the tee and walk up to my ball, tag the next club and hit the ball. Is it at this point when I tag my next club while standing next to my ball that is knows the distance?

With the H4 or the watch, you tag the club before hitting by putting the tag next to the device. The tag is on the club butt end. After a round, you don’t really think about it too much. You just do it.

I don’t know how far you are from @phillyk, but he may know an instructor in your area.

[retoid]

31 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

With the H4 or the watch, you tag the club before hitting by putting the tag next to the device. The tag is on the club butt end. After a round, you don’t really think about it too much. You just do it.

I don’t know how far you are from @phillyk, but he may know an instructor in your area.

Phillyk is very close by.

Ok, I understand how the watch and tags are meant to be used, but I was just curious how it actually works. I can't really think of any other way than what I mentioned above. No worries. If it works it works. I'll probably pick one up. My co-worker mentioned a free app called 18 Birdies which offers similar services. However I personally do not like keeping my phone in my pocket while golfing, nor do I want to be clicking around on the phone while out on the course. I toss my phone in my bag and leave it there until I am done golfing. Tapping a club head to a watch seems wat more convenient.
 

[retoid]

Gave the local golf shop a call, single lessons are $95 ea. (cheaper if bundled)
Fitting is only $50 or free with purchase.
I think I'll start off with a fitting which should be able to give me average distances with each club and hopefully help me understand what clubs/lengths I hit better. $50 seems like a pretty good price.

[klineka]

1 hour ago, retoid said:

Gave the local golf shop a call, single lessons are $95 ea. (cheaper if bundled)
Fitting is only $50 or free with purchase.
I think I'll start off with a fitting which should be able to give me average distances with each club and hopefully help me understand what clubs/lengths I hit better. $50 seems like a pretty good price.

Is the $50 for a full bag fitting or for which specific clubs? A full bag fitting can last upwards of 3+ hours, I'm not sure I've ever seen a full bag fitting cost as little as $50 without a purchase.

[retoid]

18 minutes ago, klineka said:

Is the $50 for a full bag fitting or for which specific clubs? A full bag fitting can last upwards of 3+ hours, I'm not sure I've ever seen a full bag fitting cost as little as $50 without a purchase.

Oh hmm, great question. I didn't think to ask that. I'll ask when I call to setup an appointment. If I had to choose I would probably pick a Driver, a Hybrid and a few Irons, like a 6, 8 and 9.

[snapfade]

1 hour ago, klineka said:

Is the $50 for a full bag fitting or for which specific clubs? A full bag fitting can last upwards of 3+ hours, I'm not sure I've ever seen a full bag fitting cost as little as $50 without a purchase.

PXG Orlando, other locations I'm sure its the same, offers a full bag fitting for 25 bucks which is applied to purchase if you are a veteran or active duty, etc. Unfortunately I like my Titleist's.

[retoid]

I think the $50 fitting price tag is per club. The clubs I am most interested in getting fitted for are irons. And I'd rather not spend a bunch on getting fitted for multiple irons. Would I be fairly safe to assume that choosing something like a 6 or 7 iron for fitting would likely relate to other lofts in the same configuration/make/model?

Edited May 6 by retoid

[klineka]

19 minutes ago, retoid said:

I think the $50 fitting price tag is per club. The clubs I am most interested in getting fitted for are irons. And I'd rather not spend a bunch on getting fitted for multiple irons. Would I be fairly safe to assume that choosing something like a 6 or 7 iron for fitting would likely relate to other lofts in the same configuration/make/model?

It's likely per "category" of clubs, so irons would be one category, wedges would be a category, driver a category, fairway woods/hybrid a category, etc.

They aren't going to charge you $50 per iron for a fitting. Almost all iron fittings are done with like a 6 or 7 iron, fitters don't carry full sets of every iron.

So yes, if you use a 7 iron for the fitting and let's say you get fit into the P790 with a certain shaft, 1 degree flat and .5" longer than normal you would just order the full set of P790s with that shaft/lie angle/length combination and you'll be perfectly fine.  

[retoid]

2 hours ago, klineka said:

It's likely per "category" of clubs, so irons would be one category, wedges would be a category, driver a category, fairway woods/hybrid a category, etc.

They aren't going to charge you $50 per iron for a fitting. Almost all iron fittings are done with like a 6 or 7 iron, fitters don't carry full sets of every iron.

So yes, if you use a 7 iron for the fitting and let's say you get fit into the P790 with a certain shaft, 1 degree flat and .5" longer than normal you would just order the full set of P790s with that shaft/lie angle/length combination and you'll be perfectly fine.  

Awesome, thank you very much. I ended up giving them a call and you are right.
Got to try out some different clubs, the first suggestion was the Wilson Staff Launch Pad irons I believe, the hybrid irons. Personally I wasn't liking them all too much, however they were much better than the old '74 MacGregor blades I've been playing.
Then I tried a couple others, I forget what the one was but the one I ended up liking the best was the Cobra Aerojet irons. Overall feel and performance was the best for me on these, I also preferred the appearance and sound of these. Bit the bullet.

[EnterSandTrap]

Good luck on your golf journey.  If you can get to a golf range, take your 7/PW and hit ten/fifteen balls each.  Take half swings only.  That will show you what solid consistent solid feels like.  I’d say 99 out of 100 people will start taking full swings at some point during the drill.  It’s a great drill but it’s much harder than it sounds.  Good luck.  

[retoid]

29 minutes ago, EnterSandTrap said:

Good luck on your golf journey.  If you can get to a golf range, take your 7/PW and hit ten/fifteen balls each.  Take half swings only.  That will show you what solid consistent solid feels like.  I’d say 99 out of 100 people will start taking full swings at some point during the drill.  It’s a great drill but it’s much harder than it sounds.  Good luck.  

Thank you, I am actually headed to the range today after work to test out the new irons.
What is the goal of this drill? Should I be trying to only take half swings throughout and then check my distance and shot directions?
Is the goal to try and stay consistent with half swings?

Thanks

[snapfade]

20 minutes ago, retoid said:

Thank you, I am actually headed to the range today after work to test out the new irons.
What is the goal of this drill? Should I be trying to only take half swings throughout and then check my distance and shot directions?
Is the goal to try and stay consistent with half swings?

Thanks

If you got fit for them, just go hit them. Better yet, do the drills your instructor showed you.