Novice golf set

[Martin]

Hi All

Can anyone suggest any tips on buy golf stuff. i am new to it all so i don`t know whats for the best.

Regards
Maritn

[GreensDruid]

Well Martin, since no one else is stepping up, I'll give it a try. I've been playing for about 2 or 3 years (can't remember, exactly) but haven't been playing and practicing consistently until this year when I really decided I wanted to commit to this game. So my motivations changed over time. 2 or 3 years ago, I just wanted to get some decent clubs and play every once and a while so I wasn't real keen to get top shelf stuff. I went on ebay, found a set of Tommy Armour 845FS's for not much money (less than $200, if I remember right). My father gave me a putter. And that was it.

I figured out very quickly that I couldn't hit the driver and so took it out of the bag. The 5 wood was difficult so I took that out too. I used the 3 wood to drive and otherwise used mostly irons. I really like the 845's and I still have them and have no plans to change. Over the last 2 or 3 years, here is what I have added:

Wedges: 60, 56 and 52 degree (gifts from family) They are Clevelands, which I believe have a good reputation.

Adams Idea Hybrid 21 degrees. Substituted this for a 4 iron. Supposedly easy to hit but if you are still developing a good swing . . . not really so. I've finally gotten the hang of it and it's stayed in the bag.

Driver (custom made). When I committed this year to getting better I really worked hard on the driver. I was custom fitted and I really like the results. I worked very hard on my swing so the club isn't necessarily the real reason for my improvement. But it feels right when I set up and inspires confidence. Getting a custom made club wasn't much more expensive than buying a top of the line club.

Took the 3 wood out of the bag. At 13 degrees, its too close to my driver and difficult to hit off the deck.

What would I do differently? Well, it pains me that none of the woods that came with the set are still in the bag, but I didn't really pay that much for them and didn't feel bad when I beat them up trying to learn. My retired 3 wood is full of sky marks and dings. The wedges, the hybrid and the driver cost much more than the entire set, so I would say over time as your game improves and you get more serious, you will probably spend lots more money than your initial investment, if you take the route I did. I probably wouldn't buy clubs online, as I did when first starting out. I got lucky with the irons, which I really like. But I would say if you can go to a shop where you can try things out, that's a better way to go. That is especially true when your talking about woods and hybrids, and even wedges. Great clubs can't hide a developing swing. But having clubs with a look and feel that inspire confidence is worth alot, in my opinion.

Hope this helps.