New or Second-Hand?

[0mega]

first of all, hi everyone!

well after some years at the driving range i want to give the sport a try, mainly to have a chance to hang out with the old man and get into something new and i bit more 'calming' (i was mostly a downhill and crosscountry mountain biker for the better part of my 36 years)

now my question is, like many others have asked before, should i go with a new set of (to my limited knowledge) lesser quality set or build up a better one (again, to my limited knowledge) but use...now from my biking years i know that equipment has a big part on your riding, and it will affect you on all levels, to an extent of course, 'cause you can put a blind mind on a 6000$ downhill bike and he is still going to hit a tree

i have 300ish Canadian to spend and i would like to get the best equipment possible (thats from riding high end mountain bikes), including bag and possibly 2 or 3 wheel cart, and i have no problem buying used (i personally opt for this route)

here is an example:

New,
Orlimar Black Ice Pro Men’s Right-handed 16-piece Golf Set from Costco,
460 cc beta-titanium driver with 100% graphite shaft
Stainless-steel 3 fairway wood with lightweight graphite shaft
Stainless-steel 3 and 4 hybrid irons with lightweight graphite shaft
Stainless-steel 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and PW irons
Putter with polymer insert
Set of 4 matching head covers
250$

or,

use set 1:
Bag, OGIO Sport
clubs: ALIEN PRO SERIES 7 Irons, 4 Woods, 1 Pitching W, 1 Sand W, 1 Putter, 1 Ball Retriever. (year unknown)
1 Hand cart (Wide-Grip) Bag Boy LT-450
350$

use set 2:
Irons: Callaway X-14, 9 clubs; 3 to Sand, steel shaft Uniflex, new Tour Velvet grips, great condition OR Ben Hogan CFT Irons #3 to PW, Apex graphite shaft 2 seasons old
woods: Ben Hogan Colonial, 1-3-5, regular Graphite shaft Grafalloy Platinum, great condition
275$ (then get a nice use bag and cart, for around 70-100$ for both)
total: around 345-375$

now being new to the sport will i see a big difference in the newer 'technology' and with the hybrid clubs from the new Orlimar set?

tanx for your input!

[enis750]

First off welcome to the site!

Second - as a beginner, at this point use whatever works and u dont need to spend a ton of cash

If your a weekend warrior no set will REALLY improve your game, maybe make it SLIGHTLY easier, but i wouldnt count on it

if you start to become more serious about getting better, opt for lessons w your local CPGA pro and take a few lessons first

then you can treat yourself w some new gear

just an opinion for you

as to what bag to use above? again, use what you feel most comfortable holding and have fun w the game

[drglew]

i'd go with Used Set #2 personally.  the Callaway X-series irons are probably the most popular in history for good reason--great clubs, pretty easy to hit.  I'm not too familiar with Alien Golf but I thought it was another "budget" store brand, so that price for a used set sounds pretty high (but i could be mistaken).  For most starter sets, the main possible downside is that they usually come with VERY flexible shafts, which might be a bit too whippy if you're an athletic guy in your 30's.

However, i agree with Enis750 that in the big picture if you're just starting it probably doesn't matter that much--just go out & have fun, and if you get semi-serious then take some lessons; once your swing gets semi-consistent then you can figure out specific clubs/shafts that suit your swing.

[goblue107501]

My opinion is always the same in these matters.  Quality used equipment will be better in the long run than 'generic' new equipment, even if you have to spend a little more than you want.  Would you rather buy a cheaply made, new bike from the local discount store, or get a used Trek or Giant from someone who got something new and didn't need an old bike anymore?

[WUTiger]

I would combine trying to find the first set of clubs with some basic lessons. A few lessons at the beginning can get you started on the right foot.

Used equipment can work well - if you know something about the game. You might talk to friends who play and see if they know of a good PGA teaching pro. Two co-worker got lessons locally, and their different pros also let him try different sets of clubs. One co-worker got an Adams boxed set, and the pro lengthened the shafts slightly for him. The other co-worker got a set of used X20 irons, and used Orlimar woods.

Also, welcome to the site. And keep riding the bike if you can - strong legs will help you with distance on your golf shots.

[0mega]

tanx everyone for the good advice!

i also follow that philosophy regarding 'used quality items vs new generics', that's what I've been doing for years with biking because of the exorbitantly expensive prices of high end downhill bikes

plus i agree that at this point the gear will have little to no affect to my game, that being said, i will continue reading on the sport and continue looking at used gear and even hunt down some garage sales in 'posh' neighborhoods nearby , in case i find a gem for a low price...i have time cause right now the snow is falling and will continue for awhile  ;)

and i think i will try to convince the girlfriend to go take some starter lessons during the winter, we have a indoor golf center plus the local GolfTown were you can get a package for 2 persons, i guess that like mountain biking in golf you need some techniques to manoeuvre your gear, how to analyze the terrain and others all to develop you skills

tanx again!