Difference in brands?

[Bullitt5339]

I bought a draw biased driver, and it helped me a little, but now that I'm taking lessons and improving my swing, it has become a hinderance instead of a help.

[Arsenal8807]

Getting a driver that you can change lie and loft is nice too. Like others said just find out what is wrong with your swing rather than sticking it on 2 degrees closed. A lot of people think it helps but you have to start with the basics.

Just go out and try different irons. I would recommend something a little forgiving but still a club you can grow with even if your handicap starts to lower.

Iron sets:
Nike Full Cavity
Taylormade Burner
Ping G5 or G15
Cleveland CG Gold
Callaway X-20 or X-22

[Gordon McTavish]

If a draw-biased driver actually resulted in an in-to-out swing path, then go for it.

Unfortunately, they don't work like that. I have a natural right-sided curvature on my ball-flight. I've already used this visual observation, plus video, plus divot pattern to determine the cause.

Now I enjoy de-bunking all the rubbish that closed-face, square drivers and low-spin balls "help cure a slice."

If you really want to drop some $$s on Golf related stuff, pick up a copy of "The Stack And Tilt Swing" by Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer.

[Shanks A Million]

Look, lots of us high handicappers fight a slice. It all counts--stance, grip, etc.

Absolutely not. There are hundreds of different stances and grips on the PGA Tour. One guy on the Nationwide tour plays crosshanded. A slice is nearly universally the result of a swing that's outside in, with a face that is square, or even closed.

Very few people actually leave the face open, unless those people are trying to rotate the face through impact (and that's nearly impossible to do, and you won't find many, if any good players who do it). The slice is perhaps the most simple thing in all of golf to cure, but it's the hardest for people to actually do. All you need to do is swing from the inside, that's it, nothing more. But it's so hard for most people to accept that the club coming from the inside will still meet the ball at the bottom of its arc. It feels so weak to do what's right in golf, and people assume what feels weak will not hit the ball very far.

When I lose focus, I get sloppy and slice. Then it comes back to me to get my stance proper, get my butt out a bit, head up a bit so I can turn without hitting my shoulder, get my grip closed a bit so that I don't open the clubface up so much--and voila, my slice goes away or becomes a slight fade. I can vouch that a Draw-biased driver will flat-out not cure a slice.

You didn't change anything, you just made your club draw biased. Your probably either pulling it, or slicing with a more closed face. A straight shot to you will appear to fly well out to the right. The video you posted is really not very accurate. I don't want to go into a lot of detail, but it leaves out a huge, huge number of things. His drills will cause more flipping, and I don't reccomend them. He's still under the impression that you hit up on a driver.

Look, if you want to cure a slice, all you need to do is try to hit the ball 50 yards to the right. Swing so far from the inside it feels like you're going to hit the ball dead right.

[jamo]

Absolutely not. There are hundreds of different stances and grips on the PGA Tour. One guy on the Nationwide tour plays crosshanded.

True, but why set yourself up for failure? A fairly neutral grip and a square stance are things that also elude a lot of high handicappers. They won't cure a slice per se, but if you eliminate a slice oriented grip and/or stance, it makes hitting the ball straight easier.

[andef]

Every brand makes good quality clubs. Investing on lessons (investing cuz you'll get the benefits by shooting lower scores) will help your swing. I think it's well worth spending 50$ for a lesson if you end up playing better. After that, you'll be hitting your driver straigher without worrying about hooking it cuz you have too much offset or a closed clubface.

[ControlJunkie]

Like many have said, lessons are going to be the better way to spend your money, but to answer your original question, there isnt much difference between the major brands. Different people have different brand preferences, but in the end, they're largely the same. In your position, I wouldn't spend much on a driver, and I'd be looking at something from maybe 2008-present. Also, less expensive does not really mean lower quality. Good luck!

[Shanks A Million]

True, but why set yourself up for failure? A fairly neutral grip and a square stance are things that also elude a lot of high handicappers. They won't cure a slice per se, but if you eliminate a slice oriented grip and/or stance, it makes hitting the ball straight easier.

Never said anything about alignment, or a non neutral grip. But the point is, how you grip means little. If you overlap, interlock, ten finger, in the palm, in the fingers, etc. Instructors go on and on about how (grip X) is the best, and you have to grip it like me. Bull. So long as you're set up fairly square, and your grip is decent, you can hit a ball.

You know why so many people struggle with a slice? Because instructors go on and on about grip, stance, etc, instead of the real root cause. People slice the ball because they come over the top, plain and simple. Approach the ball from the inside, and I can guarantee 99% of people will hit a draw. I can't tell you how many friends I've had struggling with a slice, and I said, "try and see how far right you can hit it while still aiming straight." The next thing that happens, they hit a draw. Simple.

[BadGolfer]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I am going to just buy a driver for now and hold off on irons. My golf season is coming to an end soon (the semester is starting soon) so I think I will buy a used/cheaper driver and practice a bit, then maybe get lessons next summer.

[tristanhilton85]

If a draw-biased driver actually resulted in an in-to-out swing path, then go for it.

This is a great book... picked it up a week or so ago and found the info in it to be great. As a golfer on a budget I really don't have the money to invest in lessons but needed something to help me out, rather than just pounding balls and trying to figure out what I was doing wrong all on my own. This books gives some good drills and has helped me out a lot. I just got back from the range where I had the best practice session that I've had in a long time.

While obviously there is no true replacement for lessons from a pro, this is a pretty good alternative, especially if you buy into the Stack and Tilt swing (which I do) and there isn't a Stack and Tilt instructor near you (not a whole lot of these guys). Work on whats in the book and when you start to improve and become more consistent, you'll still have money to invest in your equipment.