I have the budget for two clubs...

[Danattherock]

Great you want to spend time practicing and playing. That is what it takes of course to play well. Playing well is associated with having fun. So practice more, play more, play better, and have more fun. Sounds like a no brainer to me:)

As for putters, wow. Big question, but a good one. This is largely a matter of preference. Many go to a golf shop and pick out what looks good to them. I have done it. I have those putters in a closet now. Buy what you make putts with. Hard to tell on an 8' putt on green carpet in a golf shop. But feel is by far more important than looks. I have used stainless, carbon, inserts (teryllium and gel), mallet heads, blade heads, etc.. I find I like a traditional Anser style head and recently got a Rife Antigua. Best putter I have ever used. The "roll groove" face is what does the work. It imparts a top spin and the ball rolls true every time. No more bouncing and skidding at the beginning. Most all putters do this even though we can't see it very well (if at all). Best thing to do is to roll many putters. Borrow a friends at the course and roll some balls on the practice green. The more you play, the more in tune you will become with what style you like. The Ping B60 and Anser style heads are very solid and can be had for about $89. Cleveland Classic has some similar styles for around $69. These would make some great first "real" putters if you ask me. As would some of the $99 Odyssey 2 ball putters. Popular style for those that like the soft inserts. Also, don't overlook a good grip. This is a big deal when it comes to feel. What you actually "feel" from the putterhead will determine your distance control. That is more important than direction. Logic being, you won't miss 5 feet to the left or right, but you could easily roll it five feet past the hole. Distance control is paramount to good putting. I recently got the Iomic midsize putter grip from a website, www.regripit.com and love it. Very firm, yet baby butt smooth material. Loving this grip compared to the ones in the past I have tried. They run small as they are made in Japan (small hands there I guess:) Their midsize is our "normal" size. Food for thought at any rate.

[DaSportsGuy]

I would add a 3 Wood to fill the gap between your 3 Iron and your Driver and a higher lofted wedge(maybe a 54° or 56°).

[patriot07]

Go try out some hybrids and pick one you lick for sure. A 3-hybrid is probably what I'd go with. The other club should either be a gap wedge, sand wedge that you like more than your current one, or a driver that you're more comfortable with. Your drivers and wedges are your scoring clubs, so I'd try to upgrade/acquire at least one of those if you're buying 2 new ones.

[Shanks A Million]

When I say get backk into it, I mean practice weekly and try to hit a course once a month or so. I really enjoy the driving range.

The putter may actually be the most important club in the bag for fit. There is no real science behind this one, the putter that, to you, rolls the ball the most like what you imagine is the one for you. Here's why:

When you line up to a putter, your eye is focusing down on a head that is perpendicular to your target line. The way you perceive this is crucial . For example, when I set down a mallet putter like the Odyssey 2 ball, I tend to feel that it's pointed more left than it really is. The result is almost always pushed putts. My putter is the one I grew up with, it was my father's before me, and eventually (after giving him a Taylor Made TPA XIV with an upright lie and large, arthritic friendly grip) I was able to convince him to part with it. This is a black Lynx USA #6, a Zing style blade putter with 3 small sight lines that are white. When I set up to this putter, my mind and my putter are aligned correctly. I take probably 5 less putts per round than with any other putter. That amounts to about 28 putts per round on average as opposed to 33.

[lcfd42]

Sounds like you're what we'd call a hitter, not a swinger, I.E., lots of athletic ability and coordination, who plays by minute corrections and touch shots as opposed to sound fundamentals and routine. I am the same way, really, ugly swing, bad technique, and yet I hit it dead on pure 95% of the time.

I was thinking the same thing that he is probably an "armsy" swinger. That was the hardest habit in the world for me to break outside of smoking. I eventually quit both. Good luck OP, and spend the cash on lessons, your money will be much better spent. I sucked bad at one time, got new stuff. Then I just sucked with new equipment. Been there - done that.

My poor HI is purely due to my hidieous putter. I could imprvove 3-4 HI points easily there myself.

[Clambake]

When I say get backk into it, I mean practice weekly and try to hit a course once a month or so. I really enjoy the driving range.

Thanks for clarifying what you're looking to achieve it helps. And from what you said seems to me IMHO that the advice to take a little of your budgeted money and spend on a lesson or two will really be helpful - it will make those driving range sessions much more productive and enjoyable.

Your putter is a good question, and let me give my thoughts on why that would be a good choice. In my thinking, most other clubs such as drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, and irons are designed for players with a proper swing, and then they try to make the club as forgiving as possible (I'm referring to most clubs, not player's blade irons). Swingweights are pretty standard, lengths, etc. Yes, there are certainly differences between models, but they're probably a lot more subtle than the swing variations you probably have from shot to shot. But there are a zillion different putter swings out there, and putters are designed for very different swing characteristics. The come in long and short, light and heavy, different lofts, different weightings. Some are well suited to one type of swing, like a straight-back-to-straight-through while others are better for different swings like an arcing putting stroke. So you can much more likely find a putter that will really fit you and the swing that you have today, while the other clubs in the bag will likely be more common. By having a putter that fits you, you'll find yourself more accurate and more likely to hit the put towards where you think you're trying to, and this will help save you shots and make you more confident. As to advice for putter shopping, there have been quite a few threads on this that you can search for so I sugggest you take a look at these for some tips. But my real simple advice would be to figure out what your normal putter stroke is like (arc, straight, etc) first. Knowing this, you'll then know if you should look for a face balanced design or a toe hang weighted putter (you'll pick up on these from other threads). Then go into a well equiped golf shop with a decent area to practice putting and seek out a decent salesperson and ask him to suggest some putters according to what is the right for your stroke and budget. Then spend time putting with them. Make sure to try heavier putters and longer ones. When you get it narrowed to what feels best (and very important - one that you're sinking putts with), a really good thing is to then have it "fitted" where they'll fit you for right length, lie, and loft according to your stance and style. Then go amaze your friends by becoming "that SOB who seems to sink every putt he looks at!".

[flopdarock]

to me the putter has to fit your eye and how you stroke the ball... there are literally tons of ways to putt and tons of diff kinds of putters

[patriot07]

I'm going to have to slightly disagree with the previous 2 posters. Putters are all designed for a good putting stroke. There are 100s of different putting strokes just like there are 100s of different full swings (Jim Furyk, JB Holmes, Kenny Perry, etc). We looks at them and think they're different, but all good swings are the same from 2 inches behind the ball to 2 inches through the ball, the "weird" swings just start and end different, and it's the same with putting. If you put 100 putters down in front of Tiger that cost from $1 to $300, he wouldn't gain or lose more than 1-2 shots a round with any of them if he practiced with them a bit because they're all basically designed for a normal putting stroke. Obviously, you want something you're comfortable with, but the argument that different putters are designed for different swings, but drivers, irons, hybrids, woods and wedges aren't is just wrong in my opinion. Today's drivers also have different weights, draw/fade bias, lofts, etc. If you really hate your putter and you're 3-putting alot during a round, find something you're comfortable with. But I wouldn't automatically go to a putter as one of my 2 new clubs unless I really hated mine and liked my driver and wedge.

[jetman624]

If you really hate your putter and you're 3-putting alot during a round, find something you're comfortable with. But I wouldn't automatically go to a putter as one of my 2 new clubs unless I really hated mine and liked my driver and wedge.

That is just the thing-- I don't "hate" my putter. I would like to spend some more time putting with it (much more than my recent once a year) before I pull the trigger on a new one. As of right now, I couldn't say with any certainty if I like or dislike it at all. All I know is that last time I was out and my putting sucked. I gotta believe that was mostly user error that much of which could be rectified with some practice.

[Meddle]

You said that you struggled with your long irons, so I would go out and get a 4 hybrid, it's easier to hit than a 3 hybrid and you really don't need both at the skill level you're at (I know because I'm probably not too much better than you). 3 woods are really hard to hit, but I've had a lot of success with 5 five, so you might think about that. I would go to a golf store near you, look at their used equipment, and pick out a 4 hybrid with a regular shaft (unless you swing really hard). Don't spend a lot, when you really get into it, you'll upgrade to better equipment. Other than that, I say hit the range, read articles, and get a lesson or two. Have fun!!

[doof_dizzler]

4 or 5 hybrid for sure. Replace the longest iron you're not happy with. Remove the irons longer than that.

Get a gap wedge. 52 degrees will be fine.


Don't spend more than $50 for either of these clubs. If you decide to take the game more seriously, you'll be replacing them soon enough. A lot of forums are good for getting used stuff cheap. I have a room full of clubs and bought almost all of them used from members of forums like this one.

Take lessons.

Good luck!

[jetman624]

So after considering everyone's suggestion I went to the golf shop and purchased a 4h (went with a taylormade '08 burner off the demo rack). It felt great in the shop so I will see how it works into my game and decide on a second club from there.

[dbuck]

Sounds like a plan.

I was going to suggest a club about 40-41 inches long with a loft of 16-20 degrees, be it a FW wood or hybrid.

Your plan of working with it on the course then seeing what else you need is the smart way to go.

[WUTiger]

As for the wedges I currently have just a pitch wedge and a sand wedge. My approach shots from <100 yds was actually one of the stronger parts of my game.

Consider a 4W - easier to hit than a 3W, but still has good distance - and a 3H or a 4H. || Make sure you can hit a hybrid before your buy it. Some people like me can't.

[flopdarock]

i love my 4w