Building my bag.

[Philip9210]

I'm going to start building my bag piece by piece as I get the money. Currently I have a starter set with:
Driver
3 Wood
4 Hybrid
5-pw
Putter

I am looking to replace piece by piece so I can keep within my budget and it will take me a good while to build my bag. What do you guys think should be the first thing I replace? Thanks! Also, what's some good equipment that I should look at getting to replace my starter set?

[Teklabz]

I'd start by ADDING some wedges, an approach/gap wedge and a sand wedge. Most people seem to favor a 4 degree gap for these, so if your PW is 48*, then look for a 52* and a 56*

I did the same thing last year and last week, replacing one or two pieces at a time, I started with my putter, then driver, then wedges (adding a lob wedge and replacing the SW), then irons one at a time as I found decent ones come up fairly cheap on Ebay.

[clearwaterms]

I agree with Teklabz about purchasing a single wedge to add to your bag. This is a very important scoring club. After that, i would spend any extra golf money on lessons and playing because until you groove a consistant swing you won't know what you really want in a driver / irons / etc.

[Philip9210]

What type of wedge should I add?

[tws1098]

I think a 60 degree wedge would be a good choice. I rely on mine for any shot within 50 yards, particularly right around the greens.

[bIGwIRE]

I would go with a 52 and 56 combo. Save the 60 degree for when you are a little better, alot of low cappers don't even play one.

If you aren't opposed to used clubs, they can be a great way to save money. Check out the used club section at a Golf Galaxy, often times you can find a Vokey slightly used for 45$

[three]

I second the 60 degree wedge. I use mine for everything under 70 yards which is a full swing on it for me... unless I have to hit under something then I chip with a 5 iron.

Check out cleveland or titelist wedges.

[tsajjad]

+1 for the 60 deg. im covered with it for 85 yards and under. get one with decent bounce and use it out of the bunkers as well. *magic spin*

[Philip9210]

  bIGwIRE said:

I would go with a 52 and 56 combo. Save the 60 degree for when you are a little better, alot of low cappers don't even play one.

Wish I had a golf galaxy nearby, but I don't. Does anybody know if Dick's sporting goods has a used section?

[tws1098]

Dick's does not have a used section that I am aware of, but several pro shops around me do. This is great because some places will allow you to demo the club on their range or the course, giving you much more feedback than into a net or launch monitor.

[zeg]

I think wedge is a good suggestion. I'd suggest less than the 60 though. I went with a 56 sand wedge which has both helped enormously when I wind up in the sand, and is IMO a bit more generally useful than the 60. My only problem with my choice is that the wedge bounce that's good for the sand is not ideal for some of the hard lies I get around here when it's dry. I'd think that adding the 52 with a lower bounce would be the next thing to do, but clearly others disagree.

I was in your shoes not too long ago (still sort of am) so here's a couple words about what I've been doing. Of course, you may want to consider my handicap before taking too much advice...

After that, I'd say take a hard honest look at your game and figure out what you need. When I was in your shoes (10 year old starter set) my decision was more or less made for me when my irons started breaking (hosels snapping off!), so I had to replace them. I think that was a pretty good move, as those and the wedges make up most of your strokes, and certainly the most important strokes. I was at a bit of an impasse as to where to go next. My putter was ok, so I didn't really see that I was leaving many strokes out there that I could pick up there. I'd talked myself out of a driver since I drove well enough, but wound up getting one as a gift a few weeks ago. That turned out to be more helpful than I'd expected,. It's helped me reach the fairway a lot more and with a bit extra distance. A 3W might have been more useful since it'd be helpful on long approaches, but honestly, I don't need to be going for 200 yards off the fairway at my handicap yet, it just gets me into trouble.

Good luck, I had a lot of fun adding "real" clubs to my game, hope you do too!

Oh, by the way, check out callawaygolfpreowned.com if you don't have used stuff nearby. That's where I picked up my irons, and while they don't have the lowest prices, they have good selection (even other than callaway) and my experience was that their ratings are honest and a bit conservative.

[Meddle]

Wow, I'm kind of surprised at the amount of people telling you to buy a 60* wedge. If you end up doing that make sure it has 10* or more bounce, or it will be worthless out of the sand. I would say pick up a 56* wedge with 12* bounce, or a wedge that specifies that it is a sand wedge. And like someone else said, pick up a few lessons for the long and short game, and ask your pro what kind of irons he recommends after having seen your swing. We can't really help you as much as he can since we can't see your swing.

[ControlJunkie]

  Meddle said:

Wow, I'm kind of surprised at the amount of people telling you to buy a 60* wedge. If you end up doing that make sure it has 10* or more bounce, or it will be worthless out of the sand. I would say pick up a 56* wedge with 12* bounce, or a wedge that specifies that it is a sand wedge. And like someone else said, pick up a few lessons for the long and short game, and ask your pro what kind of irons he recommends after having seen your swing. We can't really help you as much as he can since we can't see your swing.

You took the words out of my mouth. I'm also surprised that many people are suggesting the lob wedge. I gotta agree with you here, I think the 56 would be the much better choice. I just think it's much more versatile.

To the OP, personally, the 56 is kinda my go to club for anything short, whether it's a chip or a pitch, or anything else 120 yds and in. The 60 only comes out when I absolutely need it, or if the distance is right on the money. But different things work for different people.

[bIGwIRE]

I play my 60 degree quite a bit, but like I said above, I would not reccomend one to a high capper, especially one who doesn't have a gap or sand wedge yet.

Another suggestion is getting a wedge with a progressive grind on the sole, so you can use it as more of an all around club. My 55 dsg's and alot of newer Cleveland wedges employ that. They call it DSG or Dynamic Sole Grind.

[mc0388]

  bIGwIRE said:

I would go with a 52 and 56 combo. Save the 60 degree for when you are a little better, alot of low cappers don't even play one.

+1

Plus, if your careful who you buy from, the E bay is a good place to buy wedges (Cleveland 588 @ $30)

[bIGwIRE]

  mc0388 said:

+1

I have used Ebay on a number of occasions, like my putter I'm using now. Like mc said, make sure the seller has good feedback, and alot of it. Pay with paypal, so you can get your money back if you need too. I would also advise to try out the club you are thinking of buying before you bid on one. Otherwise, +1 for Ebay.

[three]

I hit my 60.4 great out of sand. I have an eye2 56 but I could hit that or my PW without much difference they go the same for me with a full swing. Maybe because my irons are 20+ years old.

What are the problems people usually have with the 60 degree? Makes me wonder if I'm just really good with it or not good enough to know the difference! :)

[Craig]

my reccomendation is for you to pick up a 56* wedge, my thought for this is that you may not need your long clubs on every hole but if you will have to put the ball on the green every hole and from that i think something like a 56* wedge would be your best choice.