My first weird shopping experience and some questions

[benchan1]

+1 on the AP1

Again, another very useful advice. The salesperson offered me $580 for the used AP1. If it was a better deal, I may have chose to "tolerate" (sorry for the owners) the look and have bought it.

I know nothing about the tech so I can only choose brand. And I am little biased to mizuno as I am a judoka. Mizuno makes very nice judogi, making me trust that mizuno is quality brand. I dislike Nike and Adidas because they are not brands focusing in golf. And I dislike Callaway and PING, dunno why

[benchan1]

have another question again

is it ok for beginner to use "lie angle up 2 deg"? what is lie angle actually? tks

[Shanks A Million]

I dislike Nike and Adidas because they are not brands focusing in golf. And I dislike Callaway and PING, dunno why

There's your first mistake. All brands, at this point, are more or less equal. In fact, most people here would say Mizuno's woods are inferior to the brands you listed as disliking. Mizuno and Titleist are also not "golf focused brands." Indeed, they both make other products. Titleist is owned by Fortune Brands, which is the company that makes Moen plumbing fixtures and Jim Beam Bourbon. Indeed, Callaway and Adams are the only two true "golf" companies out there anymore. Cobra is owned by Puma, who primarilly makes sportswear. Ping is owned by Karsten, who also makes parts of jets and medical tools. Nike and Addidas are sportswear brands, of course, just like Mizuno.

To say any of these companies clubs are worse than another is a lie. In fact, the two companies you mentioned are the two companies who are the least aimed at making clubs for beginners. Mizuno and Titleist are primarilly interested in the low handicap market. What you need are clubs that will forgive you and help you learn the game, not ones that suit your own biases. I never thought I would own Nike clubs, but they make a good product, and their clubs were the best for me. That's why I got them.

have another question again

Lie angle should match you. You need to hit balls off of a lie board to determine what lie angle is right for you. I am 2-3° up depending on brand, so 2 up would fit me, but not other people who may need 2° flat, or maybe just standard. It's like asking if size 36 pants are right for you, without any idea how large you are. They could be too big, they could be too small.

[motteler621]

what I think gives Titleist a upper hand in alot of their irons and wedges is who is developing them. I think they have alot of famous designers who design the clubs. Vokey wedges for example, and I think the guy who created the ap2 irons and their other irons is pretty famous too.

[sean_miller]

what I think gives Titleist a upper hand in alot of their irons and wedges is who is developing them. I think they have alot of famous designers who design the clubs. Vokey wedges for example, and I think the guy who created the ap2 irons and their other irons is pretty famous too.

Who cares - no really, who? Does the fact Roger Cleveland (think 588) designs wedges for Callaway sway you to their brand? It should, but I bet it doesn't. There are some really famous (in their field) guys making wedges for Nike and Mizuno, but since they don't put their name on the clubhead like Bob Vokey, somehow they're inferior? Like Shanks, I would have never considered a swoosh branded club a few years ago (their first foray into hockey was laughable - then they bought Bauer and ta da!) but they have really good people on staff and they, I hate to say it, make some really really good stuff.

[benchan1]

Lie angle should match you. You need to hit balls off of a lie board to determine what lie angle is right for you. I am 2-3° up depending on brand, so 2 up would fit me, but not other people who may need 2° flat, or maybe just standard. It's like asking if size 36 pants are right for you, without any idea how large you are. They could be too big, they could be too small.

so, i should go to normal lie without angle?

btw, is mx300 or mx1000 more forgiving? is one of them give more "feel"? more complicated and fun to play with?

[tws1098]

so, i should go to normal lie without angle?

As he just said, you need to be fitted. You should only be taking two pieces of advice from all of this...

-Get fitted. -Try as many different sets as you can, because believe it or not, even a beginner can feel a difference.

[Shanks A Million]

so, i should go to normal lie without angle?

First, answer me this. What size shoes should I wear? The answer is equally impossible without knowing how big my feet are. You can buy clubs that are standard lie, and have them bent, which is likely your best option.

btw, is mx300 or mx1000 more forgiving? is one of them give more "feel"? more complicated and fun to play with?

The MX-1000 is easier to hit, but I'd probably say get the 300. The MX-300 is a little higher end, and it's forged, so it can be adjusted to fit you better. Personally, the MX-300 will stay with you longer while still being easy to hit. In fact, I would even consider playing them if someone gave me a set, they're nice clubs.

[benchan1]

thanks.

but still not 100% sure for the lie. may i should ask the shop to give me different angle lie to try if available.

Thanks again all, I think i will get the MX300

[motteler621]

Who cares - no really, who? Does the fact Roger Cleveland (think 588) designs wedges for Callaway sway you to their brand? It should, but I bet it doesn't. There are some really famous (in their field) guys making wedges for Nike and Mizuno, but since they don't put their name on the clubhead like Bob Vokey, somehow they're inferior? Like Shanks, I would have never considered a swoosh branded club a few years ago (their first foray into hockey was laughable - then they bought Bauer and ta da!) but they have really good people on staff and they, I hate to say it, make some really really good stuff.

Yea thats true, I dont really pay attention to who designed it, although it definitly helps knowing that a great golf designer created it. I really pay attention to the workmanship that went into the club/how it was made and the performance of it.

[motteler621]

thanks.

definitly dont make your decision based off what people are telling you in a forum only. You need to hit some irons and pick the ones you like the best. The forum advice aids in this process.

btw. If you are only looking for game improvement, I would DEFINITLY try some Ping irons out if I were you. IMO best game improvement irons on the market.

[golfro]

whats with all this advice for getting fitted lol...

i know some of you are gonna shit your pants when i say this (i'm looking at you Shanks) but what difference is it gonna make? this guys been to the range once...fitted clubs arent gonna do shit for him at this point but now youre just confusing him.

benchan1 - just buy a set and take lessons. when you start understanding the fundamentals and basic mechanics, you'll understand how to determine this whole lie/loft deal and at that point, when you're comfortable with a swing, you can opt for getting your irons fitted but don't get confused with this lie stuff at this point. Learn to golf first and then worry about the little details.

[benchan1]

whats with all this advice for getting fitted lol...

true.... on my hands, every irons look and feel the same except the look and weight and materials. Will go for a normal lie MX 300

Definitely will stay in this forum for getting more swing advice : ) useful stuff

[golfro]

true.... on my hands, every irons look and feel the same except the look and weight and materials. Will go for a normal lie MX 300

yea don't make it harder on yourself. no offence to the other guys who are giving you advice, they're all sound advice but don't get so caught up in all this technical crap us golf junkies talk about. half the time, we're arguing semantics and bullshitting around about crap that doesn't matter.

[Shanks A Million]

yea don't make it harder on yourself. no offence to the other guys who are giving you advice, they're all sound advice but don't get so caught up in all this technical crap us golf junkies talk about. half the time, we're arguing semantics and bullshitting around about crap that doesn't matter.

Yeah, but your dead wrong. I'm guessing you're within 2° of standard lie to say that. I struggled to break 100 for 20 years. I couldn't figure out why I just couldn't get anywhere in this game. Then I discovered my irons were nearly 4° too flat for me. To make solid contact, I had to catch the thing perfectly, right in the toe where it contacted the ground, but almost never got it purely.

I'm going to say this again, would you tell a person who's never walked before to get any size shoe, and maybe get fit later? Hell no, you'd get laughed at. Why golfers are so lax on getting fit, I'll never know, but if they want to struggle to break 100, that's their thing. When you buy clubs from a shop, they will usually bend them to your lie angle for free. Do it, there's nothing to lose.

[Thwak-Thwak-Ting]

true.... on my hands, every irons look and feel the same except the look and weight and materials. Will go for a normal lie MX 300

LOL - Sticking with the Mizuno's!!!

Fair enough. I went through the exercise of buying new irons a few months ago. Though I've been playing for 15 years, I was never an equipment junkie - but I wanted to get good clubs. When I started looking a friend gave me some advice - He said - You'll read all the reviews you can, ask questions on forums, hit a ton of clubs and consider all the options. In the end you'll buy the club that you think looks the best. He was right! Nobody can play good golf with a club they think looks crap.

[benchan1]

went shopping today again.

found the AP1 in good deal. the MP 52/58 are both cheaper than the MX300 (around $250 difference). Very strange, the MP series should be of higher end.

the salesperson roughly measure for me, I can just go for normal lie.

he also recommended me to go for MP58. he said MP58 is also quite forgiving because of the small cavity. he knows i am beginner but still said if i buy the MP58, I can stick with it for many many years..

[Krullpes]

Would highly recommend a custom fitting session rather than off the rack to give yourself the best possible start; its amazing the difference a properly fitted set of clubs will make even if you can't necessarily tell in what way at the begining.

Don't know if they have anywhere in Singapore with it yet, but ask about the SwingDNA if you're going with Mizuno. This tool suggests the best shaft for you based on just 3 swings. Shafts are probably more important in the heads so you want to get that right.