Help me decide between these two sets of clubs

[SteveO]

Hi there,

My clubs (Taylor Made 300s) were damaged in a fire last fall, so I need to replace them. The insurance company didn't give me as much as I would have liked for them, so I'm looking for a used set to keep it cheap.

A little about me: I played in high school, but since then (I'm 25), I've only had time to play 5 or 6 times a year. I'm typically a 20 handicap or so. I'm 6'5", right handed, and I tend to fade the ball a bit. My short game used to be a strength, but lately has turned into a bit of a disaster.

I've found two sets of clubs on Craigslist, and I'm trying to figure out which is the better deal and which would fit my game better. Here's what I'm looking at.

Option 1
I'm going to go hit these clubs tonight:
Driver: Taylor Made r5 XL (9.5 degrees, 460 cc, standard); pictured here .
Irons: Ping Zing, red dot (1-PW, sand & lob wedges); pictured here .
Putter: Odyssey (I'm not sure of the exact model); pictured here .
Bag: Callaway; pictured here .
Price: $350 for all

Option 2
This is more of a mix-and-match set:
Driver: Taylor Made r5 XL (same as above)
Irons: Nike Slingshot (3-PW, steel shaft, used less than five times); pictured here and here .
Putter: Odyssey DFX 2-ball (center-shafted)
Bag: Nike Extreme (brand new); pictured here .
Price: $365 for all

Can anyone offer opinions or advice on the sets? I know it will come down to which clubs I hit better, but I thought I'd try to reach out to anyone with experience with Pings or Nikes. My dad has the r5 driver, and I hit that really well, so I'm not too concerned with that.

Does either of these options sound like the better deal? Any input would be appreciated. I'd be glad to provide any other relevant information. Thanks in advance.

[Tenacious Deek]

I think that you should consider both seriously, since the option 2 has much newer clubs, but option one comes with a sand a lob wedge... The adding of a sand and lob wedge to your bag is better than not having one at all. If you hit the Pings with the red dot, make sure you like a flat club. I am 6'4" and I had my clubs 2 degrees upright, i dont have a flat swing so those clubs wouldnt fit me correctly. I think both sets are nice, but you would have to spend more money if you wanted the two wedges. Keep that in mind when looking!

[mcotter]

if you get the Pings, go have the lie checked at Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy. Once you know what the correct lie is for you, you can send them back to Ping and they will adjust the Lie and loft for the whole set for $18. I seriously doudt that you are red dot.

[motteler621]

yea if red dot is considered flat lie there is no way you need flat irons, you are 6'5 doesnt really work that way, You are most definitly going to be upright in your lie adjustment

[Cornbread]

Both options are too exspensive for what your getting.
If you shop wisely you can get all new set (w/hybrids), a bag, and a quality putter for around $400. Fitting these to you lie angle will be free at many stores.
As one example is Dicks and G.Galaxy who have A3 Adams sets w/ hybrids for $299.

[jamo]

#2. The Ping Zings are old and the Nike's aren't. Plus the Nike stand bag is nice.

[Meddle]

I would go with option 2 as well. You don't want a 1 or 2 iron, and Slingshots are better clubs for higher handicaps anyway.

[Pat007]

[QUOTE=SteveO;483635]Hi there,

My clubs (Taylor Made 300s) were damaged in a fire last fall, so I need to replace them. The insurance company didn't give me as much as I would have liked for them, so I'm looking for a used set to keep it cheap.

I work in a golf shop and take in trades on used clubs all the time. Just how much do you think these irons are worth? They were 999$ brand new and they're 8 years old! We use a website called GlobalGolf.com to appraise club value. The value is 100$. This is a classic example and I have this argument on a daily basis, which is why we refer to the website. Value is subjective. It's like buying a house. The seller thinks their house is worth 1 000 000$ when market value is actually maybe 500 000$.

[SteveO]

@Pat007

Well thanks for that reply, which was completely unrelated to the original question. I'll be sure to come straight to you the next time I need some sort of appraisal (I'll also elaborate on the rest of my equipment, which was newer and more expensive than the irons, but that's another story).

To the posters who actually addressed my question, thanks for your input. I'm going to go hit the Nikes tonight and see how they feel. Thanks again!

[Jtjohns]

[QUOTE=Pat007;483773]

Hi there,

Where did this come from?

[JML22]

Have you guys hit the pings? they're pretty solid