Got about 500-600 to spend on beginner equipment

[twinke masta]

Hey guys I am deteremined to pick up golf. I have already arranged for lessons next week and I plan to dump an excessive amount of time and money into this sport. I was wondering what kind of clubs I should get for someone who has never played before.

I was looking on ebay for used sets and they seem to be selling around this price. But I was wondering if anyone has any good suggestions? I tried out my friends TaylorMade 200's and they felt really nice so he recommended me get a TM iron set. I am leaning heavily towards buying a used set for around 500-600$. Any suggestions would be great!

Thus far the TaylorMade 360/300 and Callaway X-14/X-16's have caught my eyes but what do I know.

Thanks for your help!

[Danattherock]

Be careful on Ebay and Craigs List.

Some general thoughts. First off, you are smart to already have a lesson in mind. This is the missing ingredient for many getting into golf. No subsititute for fundamentals. A few lessons will get you well on your way.

For irons, look for something forgiving, targeted towards higher handicappers. I have some Callaway Big Berthas that are such a club. Which reminds me, a great place for irons is the Callaway Preowned website. I got mine there. If you look at that site, you can pick a model, look at what is available and it will tell you the condition. Anything in good or like new should be a great set of irons. Mine looked brand new. And lets be honest, you are buying something you will be beating the ground with. For most, a regular flex shaft would be good in the irons.

For woods, it might be best to look in a golf shop. Hold off till you get an idea of what you want. No hurry, the irons will keep you busy at first for sure. Budget will determine what you can get. Drivers can get pretty pricey. Get several opinions before spending your money. Consider a used driver if you see it in person in a shop. Same would apply to the Callaway site. They have tons of drivers for sale there. One good deal I saw recently (and bought) was the Callaway Big Bertha 460 on Edwin Watts website for $149. Heck of a driver for that price.

Putter, I won't even go there. Just check out some in the store and find one that looks good to you. Starting out, that is important. Well, it will be later to, but you will have to pick out what you like. Each of us have different ideas on this. Ping makes a great putter in the $85 range. I just got one for my wife. Nice putters for the money. The Anser style made them famous, but I also like the B60 model very, very, much. Be sure you get a putter with an alignment line on it.

Check out websites like The Golf Warehouse, Edwin Watts, and Golfsmith. And of course, Callaway preowned.


Some ideas...

Callaway Big Bertha irons (3-PW) in steel shafts for $295 in "Very Good" condition.
http://callawaygolfpreowned.com/isets/isets-bb-96.aspx

Callaway Big Bertha 460 driver for $149
http://www.edwinwattsgolf.com/golf-e...54_-1_1102.htm

[twinke masta]

Be careful on Ebay and Craigs List.

Thanks for your help, i saw these on ebay and was wondering your opinion on it? X-14 Irons and Big bertha woods/drivers

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...lenotsupported Thanks

[clearwaterms]

any set you are looking at will be excellent. That being said $500 is alot to spend on something without having the personal insight to know what you want.

My opinion (please remember this is the internet) is to contact the person / people providing lessons and ask if they have demo clubs / loaner clubs you can use during your lessons. After that you can go to golf shops / proshops and try out a bunch of different clubs. If you hit the X20's / X22's they will give you a sense if you like the older X's. You can also hit some Nike's, Taylor Mades, and Mizunos. All of these are excellent brands, and having some knowledge and some swing thoughts, you will have a good idea of where to start.

welcome to the addiction.

[wrx_junki]

Driver - Get a used driver from any of the top name brands, don't spend more than $100.
Irons - Get a set with hybrids for long irons. Ben Hogan CFT Edge ($230) Nickent 3DX ($180)
Wedges - Get a set that comes 3 to a set. Adams Tom Watson PVD ($80). I bought mine at Rockbottomgolf.com.
Putter - Look into a 2-ball/mallet style putter which will make putting a lot easier on you. Should cost no more than $100.
Bag - Callaway Mini Looper goes for about $50.

So in total your entire set should not cost you more than $600 at most with all the accessories included. This set will last you a very long time and wont need any upgrading until your a low handicap.

[ryohazuki222]

All Brand new stuff:

Nike 5000 driver -$100
Taylormade (older) Burner fairway wood -$100
Irons (pick practically any clearance model... you suggested TM, so I advice the r7s) - NO MORE THAN $400. (and easily less if you look around)
Putter that you like whatever shape/size... no more than $100
ONE good wedge (for now) -- clearance stuff I think is ~$60-$80

Get whatever bag you can afford and like after that.... $50-$150.

[grantc79]

I have a set of Taylormade Rac LT II tour issue irons that I have to get rid of if you are in the market.

Paid 525 for them from Bombsquad a week ago. Will sell them for 375 today.

They are practically brand new, they just won't go 5 degrees upright without risk of breaking so I can't play with them.

[Danattherock]

Thanks for your help, i saw these on ebay and was wondering your opinion on it? X-14 Irons and Big bertha woods/drivers

Looks like a great set if it is legit. There is always a chance it is a rip off, so be warned. But if not, this is a nice set for sure. I am a bit suspicious of the free shipping. On a set of golf clubs, that would be a cost I would not expect to be free, but to each his own. If not a scam, this looks like a great starter set.

[twinke masta]

Thanks guys, is there any "namebrand" irons/drivers/woods I should AVOID? like too complicated for me to play or not good for a learner? Thanks

[Gambler]

If you are of abnormal size, it might be worth looking into custom clubs from a place like gigagolf. They have a wizard to fit you for the proper length clubs. They will be good quality clubs, plenty good for a beginner. You can get a whole set from them for well under your budget.

[twinke masta]

thanks, i was at dicks the other day and the person said i was his size and arm length so a standard would work, so im guessing any old club will do?

[clearwaterms]

thanks, i was at dicks the other day and the person said i was his size and arm length so a standard would work, so im guessing any old club will do?

that doesnt' sound like a fitting to me. A casual observation is more like it. A proper fitting is dynamic and requires you to hit balls with the golf clubs. A static fitting, what he gave you, will not help you much.

[uttexas]

MacGregor NVG2 3-PW $200
http://www.golfstockpile.com/macgreg...-3p-steel.html

Buy a $100 12 degree or more driver (see above recommendations)
Buy a cheap used putter

Then spend the rest of the money on lessons.

will try to find some other deals on irons and hybrid sets

[uttexas]

nice precept iron set $165 http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys...i_sku=11712050

[twinke masta]

What do u guys think of 2004 Callaway Big Berthas with a TM 360 Ti 10.5 Driver and a putter for 300$? I can polly ditch that driver and get a decent driver + woods for some extra $$. And I am gonna head over to the golf shop near me now to try to see what they would recommend and maybe picking up something from there. I am going to spend alot more on lessons on top of the equipment

[Danattherock]

I don't know much about the driver you mention, but I did see today that you can get a Callaway Diablo driver at The Golf Warehouse $299, and get a free Diablo fairway wood, like a 3 wood or 5 wood. They have a great website. A Diablo driver and 3 wood along with a set of Callaway Big Bertha irons would be a sweet set up if you ask me. I love the Big Bertha irons. I got mine preowned at the Callaway site, but money had nothing to do with it. I had the dough for a new set. But I wanted the older gold models. Any set of Big Bertha irons would be good for a beginner I think. Very forgiving.

[twinke masta]

I don't know much about the driver you mention, but I did see today that you can get a Callaway Diablo driver at The Golf Warehouse $299, and get a free Diablo fairway wood, like a 3 wood or 5 wood. They have a great website. A Diablo driver and 3 wood along with a set of Callaway Big Bertha irons would be a sweet set up if you ask me. I love the Big Bertha irons. I got mine preowned at the Callaway site, but money had nothing to do with it. I had the dough for a new set. But I wanted the older gold models. Any set of Big Bertha irons would be good for a beginner I think. Very forgiving.

thanks alot, i may have to get on that deal then

[Danattherock]

Those Diablo woods look sweet. I got the Big Berth 460 from Edwin Watts for $149, but if I needed a fairway wood as well, the new Diablo with a fairway wood for $1 is a no brainer. So $200 for the new driver and $100 for a new fairway wood. Tough to beat. There are lots of options out there, but I have used Callaway and that is all I really know about. With your budget, I feel you can get a great set of irons and woods if you get some good deals. A set you would not feel the need to upgrade for some years to come.