Guy Coming Back to the Game in Need of Serious Help/Advice!!

[Naterater]

Hey Everyone,
First, thanks for the help.I will try to make this story as short as possible. I am 32 now, and was an avid/obsessive golfer from age 9 to 22. At the time I left the game, I was a 9 to 10 handicap. I left the game to play professional paintball, but now age has caught up with me. Not to mention during this time away from the game I broke my left shoulder, I can swing, but am not sure whether it really is adversely it affects me.
After playing a FEW rounds over the past 3 years with my brother-in-laws with borrowed clubs (even my mother-in-laws "Ladie Jem's"!!) I did pretty well(91,88,and 92 respectively). So in anticipation of our upcoming family vacation I decided to get back into the game seriously. I want to beat the hell out of my brother-in-laws!!
I bought a Callaway BB 454 S Shaft and took that to the range... I hit it great. I had read some reviews about the Nike tour pro forged irons and thought the concept (cavity back to muscle to blades) and clubs looked good for me. I now bought them in a S flex and thought I was in. After playing/range time I am doing nothing but hitting these irons off the toe. I have tried many things, and nothing I can do with my swing works. So these are the questions I pose to you all.......
1. Take these clubs to a club fitter and get them re-shafted/re-gripped and try to adjust lie angle.
2. Keep the clubs the way they are and go see a golf instructor to help me "find" my swing again.
3.Trade them in to play it again until I find a more forgiving club 'till I can figure out my swing.
Again, thanks for your time and advice.....

[x-forged]

If I were you, I would do both 1 and 2. Get them fitted most definitely. But after ten years of rarely playing, I would go get a lesson or two just to get the basic fundamentals down again.

welcome to the forums!

[Shindig]

Hey Everyone,

My suggestion:

* Yes, get them fit for you. If that means trade them in and buy a different set of the same that are fit to you, do that. If it's cheaper to get them retro-fitted, do that. * See an instructor. Tell him or her your story. Get a refresher on the fundamentals and a check on what you're doing. As for forgiveness on the clubs: how much do you intend to play/practice? If you're going to play once every few months, and maybe hit the range once in between, more forgiveness will help, because you won't be swinging as great as you can. When I realized I was going to play/practice at least three times a week, I opted for players' irons instead of game-improvement, because I knew I'd be able to get into the hitting them well, and they serve as swing-improvement clubs for me. When I was starting, making bad swings, and playing rarely, I went for super game-improvement irons. It isn't a matter of where you are now, it's a matter of where you're going, what your goals are and commitment is, and how much you're willing to put up with to get better

[Naterater]

First off, thanks for the advice. My commitment is there, I so want to show up all m brother-in-laws during our family vacation!!!! They all think they know how to play the game when all I've ever sen is impatience and frustration. I have waited 3 weeks to get the irons, and since I got them(friday), I have spent over 4 hours, roughly 300+ balls with them and am still baffled! At 1 point I even set up the club hosel at center of the ball or even further to the right of center of the ball and STILL hit toe shots!! Just wanted to check if these forged hosel's con be bent a couple of degree's to change lie angle? Thank's again.....

[QWKDTSN]

Pro paintball player eh? I used to be really into paintball a few years ago. Unfortunately I lived in Kodiak, AK and didn't really have much in the way of a speedball course (I had an AKA Viking anyway)....

What team(s) did you play on? (Sorry for the off topic post!)

[Naterater]

Played on alot of teams over the years. The only one you'd recognize would be the OC Bushwackers.

Went to the shop today to check out swing speed and sure enough it is slower than it used to be. Now have a new problem to figure out. Do I go with DG R300 or Rifle 5.0? Any thoughts, experience, advice? Thanks all....

[cockergod]

Nice a fellow paintballer. Good stuff is Ron still playing? Sorry for the off topic post. I hope you get your golf game back.

[Avid Golfer]

First off, thanks for the advice. My commitment is there, I so want to show up all m brother-in-laws during our family vacation!!!! I have spent over 4 hours, roughly 300+ balls with them and am still baffled! At 1 point I even set up the club hosel at center of the ball or even further to the right of center of the ball and STILL hit toe shots!! Just wanted to check if these forged hosel's con be bent a couple of degree's to change lie angle? Thank's again.....

I definately recommend you look into lessons before you go and have your clubs bent (and or fitted). The last thing you want to do is go in with a bad setup and swing and have your clubs altered to where they will encourage you to continue to make a bad setup and (or) swing.

You've mentioned your family vacation a couple of times. How often do you plan to play after that is over? If you're not going to play very often after then you may be wasting money having them adjusted (if that is even necessary after your lesson(s)). Since you've had an injury, and you're not swinging with as much speed as you used to stiff flex may not be the way for you to go with reguard to shaft flex (but again you may see your swing speed and distance improve after a lesson).

[Naterater]

Well Guy's, I want to thank you all for the advice. I went and saw an instructor, which definitely knocked off the cobwebs..... you guys were right about that one. I looked into reshafting the Nike irons, but then by chance I found a set of Callaway X Tour's w/ DG R300's for a straight trade! I did have to regrip them, but I did it myself so I saved a couple buck's there. Bottom line... These clubs are AMAZING!!!! Everything I hit is long and straight, even if I hit a little of center. They're even a little workable!! I am so happy to be back in the world of golf... Thanks again Guy's!