How important are decent clubs?

[Alex1]

I'm a beginner, and all my friends use Goodwill/Salvation Army clubs. One insists that there is no reason to spend more than $10 on a set of clubs.

How important are clubs for a somewhat serious beginner? What is least you should spend on a decent set of clubs? Are there any affordable clubs made in the USA?

[drtbk933]

not too sure but I recently bought a set from Goodwill because it had a almost new taylormade iron in it. Got a set with Titileist (sp?), Lynx, Knight, and others for $5. Pretty sweet deal. In one bag there I found a Pro V1 ball. Needless to say I got it.

[jonanator]

I think it comes down to what you can afford. If I could comfortably afford a set of Callaway X-20 irons as a first set and then when you got better, got another set more suited to your needs, I would definetly go that route. Unfortunately, I don't have that much money to blow, so I bought a $200 set from a retailer like Dick's Sporting Goods, and upgraded from there.

[Dent]

Technology has increased Drastically. People have different views on it, but I can guarantee you a new club in someones bag increases confidence greatly.

I bet everyone on this forum has bought a new club and has shaved atleast 1 stroke from their game because of it. These new clubs can do great things to your game.

Then again it is the operator as well. Again people have different views on spending as well. Some say you shouldn't spend much on beginner clubs because as you get better you will grow out of them. Some say you should spend lots because you need all the technology you can get to help your game.

And some say (which I think is the best answer) : Invest in a good set of clubs, and buy some that will last you years. Even buy clubs that are a bit out of your skill level, and as you get better you can grow into them.

[glebert]

Regarding thrift store/yard sale clubs it depends on if you can find clubs that fit you. I bought my Ram FX2 irons at a thrift store for $1 a club, and later thought I would "upgrade" to some new lower end Adams super game improvement shovels. I almost gave away the Rams, but I'm glad I didn't. After I (quickly) grew out of the Adams I went back and tried the Rams again and found that they worked very well for me, and have no plans to replace them. I've also bought some great vintage Golden Ram blades, persimmon woods, and a few wedges there. I also got a great set of Hogan Apex Grind irons for $25 off Craigslist.

I like buying inexpensive used clubs because if they don't work out you aren't out much money. If you have something like a Golf Galaxy near you check out their preowned clubs, they have a 30 day return (for credit) policy. There have been times I've used it like a club library: buy a club, try it out, take it back, try another one, take it back, rinse, lather, repeat. I think I could make a nice set of clubs for a beginner for less then $150.

I don't think there are any inexpensive clubs made in the USA.

[GaijinGolfer]

IMO, decent clubs arent all that important. I use to have an old set of Knight oversize cavity-back irons and I hit them just as well as I do my Titleist DCI 981s.
The big difference is in feel. When I make a mishit with my Titleists, I feel it in the grip. When I made a mishit with the Knights, I really didnt feel any difference from a mishit to a solid hit.
Id suggest for a beginner is to just buy a set of no-name clubs for $200-$300 and then in a few years, if you feel like golf is really something you want to play for the rest of your life, then go buy a nice set of brand-name clubs.
Id hate to see someone go out and spend $1000+ for a new set of good clubs and then find out in a month or 2 that golf really isnt for them.
I dont think you are going to find a set of inexpensive clubs that is made in the USA. Really, the only clubs nowdays that are 100% made in the USA are Pings. Callaway and Titleist all have their clubheads made in China.
Unless you go used, I dont think you are going to find an inexpensive set of Pings.
One great option is Ebay. You can buy a really nice set of used irons on there for less than $200 and you could get a decent driver and 3-wood for about $50 each and could buy a decent Ping, Titleist or Odyssey putter for under $100.
However, if you go new, I think you will be looking at buying a no-name set of clubs thats made in China.

[TheGolfingDetective]

I'll throw this out. I got back into golf late last year and had a 7 or 8 year old set of TaylorMade SuperSteel irons. My wife got me new irons, the FIRST ROUND OUT with the new clubs, I broke 100 for the first time ever.

Even if it's a placebo effect, it's worth it.

[ks8829]

I think golf clubs are 10-15% of a game, so 85 - 90% is your golf swing and mental attitude.

[nike_golf]

This is my third serious year of golfing, right now I have good equipment, as opposed to what I started w/. And I will say that equipment definately makes a difference, not only mentally but in every way. Sure golf equipment is over priced, but you still get what you pay for.

Start off w/ a Dunlop, or Ram set (or something similar) and pay no more than $250, and get a $50 putter from Dick's and try it out. If you want to keep playing and feel your good enough to get better equipment, then do it up.

But yes, equipment definately makes a difference. And if you go that route and upgrade later on, you too will know the difference. And its quite obvious too.....

So, the people who tell you equipment doesn't make a difference are simply not right.......

[play4him]

I started playing back in the 70's before all the high-tech equipment came out. My first set was a Northwestern Chi Chi Rodriquez set from K-Mart. There was nothing special about the set, but I learned to shoot in the 70's within two years with those clubs.
I know there are advantages with the newer equipment, but one thing those clubs taught me was to hit the ball pure. With the little club face back then, I was forced to work on my swing if I wanted to hit the ball solid.
With a lot of the newer equipment there's less of a need to be precise on where you strike the ball. You can get away with mis-hits that you wouldn't have been able to with the older clubs.

[titaniummd]

If you can play blades, then the Salvation army or Goodwill clubs will work. It is the Indian not the arrow.

I just choose nicer arrows. They look and feel better. Do I play better? Yes. It is all in the head. Whatever inspires confidence: Be it clubs from Walmart or Golfsmith/Edwin Watts/Golf Galaxy/Washington Golf/(name your favorite golf store chain).

I am putting with an older putter. So there is value in trying clubs with very little forgiveness/MOI/Technology flavor of the day.

[GaijinGolfer]

The best clubs in the world dont mean a thing if you dont know how to swing them correctly.