Need help/advice NEW GOLFER!

[kbespy]

Hello guys, I need a little bit of help.

I've just gotten into golf. A little about me: Even though I am a beginner, I pick up on things very, very quickly. Even though I just started, I feel like I can become a decent player very quickly. With that said, I need a set a of clubs. I am a left-handed golfer, so that poses a bit of a problem.

Now, I have a few choices at this point. Of course I can get a set of new, but decent clubs for roughly 150-200. That's one option.
Or, I could buy a set of decent irons for about $50 (Barely used) and spend around 100 for a better driver, putter, and bag.
Or, I could buy an entire set of used Impex clubs for around $60, then invest in a better driver for $80 or so.
Or, I could buy a used set of Callaways for around $100 but I don't particularly like the driver,.. so I'd get a different one.

So many options! Furthermore, I'd like some advice. Are any of these options appealing? Which are good? Which are bad? Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Kevin

[BostonSully]

Well I do appreciate your enthusiasm.. I find that the goal of being "decent" will be more and more elusive than you could ever imagine. Unless you have the focus of davinci or the ability to play 3rounds and 3 trips to the range every week.

That said I would always go with the best equipment in this case callaways. I bought my set of Callaway BB Irons and driver 2 years ago and I must say I am not within the realm of outgrowing them skillwise yet. My last 3 rounds were a 44, 46, 44 on a par 36 so +8, +10, +8 (much better than my handicap) and untill I am consistantly shooting those scores I wont change and when I do i am fancying myself a set of Ping G15's driver and Irons.

I would check out this website http://www.3balls.com/ and keep an eye out for any LH Iron Sets that come in you should be able to aquire a set of Irons/Driver/Putter/Wedges for under $300 there. That was what I did.

[kbespy]

Well, like I said, I do pick up on things very well. The first day I went to the range the furthest I drove the ball was roughly 50 yards and I even broke a driver. I was then committed because I sucked so bad. I've been the range 6 days in a row so far since then. Now I'm driving 200 yards with a 3 wood consistently. Only problem is I slice sometimes. But in my opinion that's a remarkable improvement. I can pitch fairly well now.
However, I'm not going to claim that I could tell a difference between a decent set of golf clubs and a $1000 set. That's why I'm asking for advice on what to get. I've been looking for hours. BTW as an update, the set of callaways is no longer available.

[golfnuub]

if you are breaking clubs at the range then i would buy some used clubs and get some lessons from a PGA pro in your area.

http://www.pga.com/golf-instruction/find-instructor

here are some sites that have used clubs:
http://www.golfgalaxy.com/galaxy/

http://www.golfsmith.com/

[kbespy]

lol i'm not breaking clubs anymore. It was the third time I'd ever swung a golf club. Geeze. I was pointing out that I pick up on things very quickly. I went from breaking a club and driving 50 yards with a driver to consistently driving 200+ with a 3 wood,.. and not breaking clubs I might add.

[golfnuub]

would still recommend the lessons from a pga pro regardless of the breaking/not breaking clubs anymore.

[David K]

Well if you're such a quick learner maybe buying a nice set of used clubs would be a good investment? Instead of buying a cheap set and just upgrading soon after. At this point you probably don't know exactly what you want with a certain set of clubs so just buy any decent set you find. Whatever you decide to get I'd stick with the well known brands and not the cheap specials. I forgot the name of the clubs but Dicks sporting goods sells a full set of clubs with a bag for $200 but they seem to break pretty easily even under normal use.

I would also like to point out you might be in for a rude awakening once you get to a golf course because of your high confidence. You will pretty much never have the perfect conditions on a golf course like you have at the driving range. Also your full swing is actually a pretty small part of what decides how well you score on the course. Some people pick the game up fast but don't expect to be a scratch golfer even within the first two years of playing. Most players never make it to a 0 handicap in their lifetime.

[teamgs]

I would wholeheartedly say DO NOT spend tons of money on your first set of clubs. If you progress rapidly (Especially if you take lessons) your swing is very likely to change significantly. Since I recommend getting fitted for clubs, or at least hitting a ton of them before shelling out lots of $$, what "fits" you now, will, most likely, not fit you after a short period of time. Spend the $$ you saved on clubs by taking lessons. Learning it right the first time will save you time and headaches in the long run, by not having to unlearn bad habits.

Good Luck, and have fun!

Gary

[kbespy]

Thanks for the input guys, I do appreciate it.
I have a guy that is going to give me a set of irons.
Do y'all have any suggestions on what driver and putter?

[David K]

Putters are purely personal preference. Some putter faces seem to get the ball rolling much more consistently but it has a lot to do with your setup at address and putting stroke.

I think getting a forgiving driver is pretty important. Its the hardest club to hit straight for most people and unless you can put the ball in play it doesn't do you any good to hit it long. At this point you still don't really know what you want in a golf club until your swing develops and gets more consistent. They have different lofts, some are setup for a draw, the shafts can make a huge difference but none of this really matters until you have a somewhat consistent swing. Something with 10°+ of loft and a regular flex shaft would be a good place to start. However, the fact is it you have the club face wide open or closed at impact its still probably going to end up being a bad shot no matter how forgiving the club is.

My first driver was a 10.5° Cobra Speed LD and I was very happy with it for a long time. I could hit it straight and the high loft let me get decent drives even with a somewhat slower club head speed. As my swing got better and my club head speed increased the mid flex shaft and high loft just wasn't working for me anymore. So I bought my current driver with 9° loft and a stiff flex shaft which works great for me now.

[WUTiger]

I would wholeheartedly say DO NOT spend tons of money on your first set of clubs. If you progress rapidly (Especially if you take lessons) your swing is very likely to change significantly.

For your first set of clubs, get a basic

static fitting: Fitter checks you in your stance of make sure clubs are not too long or too short, or have a funny lie angle for your height and build. When you take lessons, the pro could suggest what type of clubs would work for you. Selecting clubs is difficult when you're first learning the game. You also might consider boxed sets. If you're interested, check out this recent Bag Drop column: http://thesandtrap.com/bag_drop/club...der_boxed_sets

[tristanhilton85]

As far as a putter and driver goes, I would check out your local golf shop or an online source like 3balls.com for used ones. You should be able to get a decent driver for about $50... Just get really any big name with a large club head and the right flex shaft. While having the proper shaft for your swing is important, as a beginner your swing is going to change so much that you won't know what that is; the closest you can come is getting the right flex for your swing speed (you can find this out using a launch monitor at Golfsmith or somewhere like that). With putters, play around with a few and go with whatever feels and looks the best to you...

[chef35ca]

Thanks for the input guys, I do appreciate it.

SMT DB455 5* 48" HOF Jamie Sadlowski XX flex.

Callaway BB 13* A flex. Impossible to recommend. Are you 5'2" or 6'6"? Swingspeed? Tempo? Best recommendation-go try something with a big head. That'll cover forgiveness. After that it's pretty much up to what fits your eye & keeps you in the fairway more often than not. Putter-most personal club in the bag. Once again, what fits your eye. Personally i cannot putt with something that is a mallet & over 34"(i hit myself in the nuts otherwise). Odyssey is huge in putters. Lots of different models. PING too. Just buy the one that makes all the ten footers.