What to replace first?

[LuciusWooding]

My set is quite ancient. Not only is it not fit for me (though I'm pretty close to standard), it consists of various clubs from 1971-1984. Here are my complaints:

The irons, for starters, are a set of Titleist AC108's. They are unforgiving, not very long, worn down, and still have the original grips from 40 years ago. They are traditional loft, 3-PW, with very thin soles and barely any cavity; they have 2 narrow cavities with a strip filling in the middle, which strikes me as having neither forgiveness nor workability. I can hit most of them okay, but on the occasions where I borrow a modern club, they make the modern irons feel like Excalibur. I also have a blade 1 iron, and it feels a lot better and more forgiving than the 3-5 in my set, which is a bad sign.

The fairway woods are Wilson 3&5 woods from the 80s, but I don't know what year. They are made of aluminum and are quite beaten up. I hit them okay, but their feel is awkward at times due to old hard grips, heavy steel shafts, and an odd sole that doesn't quite feel flat. They have the classic head shape, are far too tall in the face, and don't feel balanced. The feel of swinging a modern low profile wood with a graphite shaft is a million times better in terms of feel, though I've never hit one on the range. Even one buddy's ping wood, which was actually made of wood, felt better.

I'd prefer to hold off on wedges until I have a new iron set to fit the lofts, and I have a driver and putter. It's worth mentioning that I got the set for free, so I can't complain about that...

The problem is that I don't have infinite money, and can only afford to upgrade one part of the set this season in all likelihood. My handicap is pretty high, but that's based on my first 3 rounds ever, and my ball striking is better than that would indicate. I suck at putting and driving, but the rest of my game is decent. I have borrowed my dad's low end adams clubs that are only a few years old, and the difference was more than enough to interest me in some modern clubs. For example, bouncing a ball on the wedge in my old set goes half as high as my dad's.

And don't suggest that I take lessons, since I've looked into it; it's even more expensive and I already hit the ball straight. I'd benefit from 10-15 yards across the set, but I don't think putting and dramatic increases in distance are something that can be taught in 5 lessons. For the price of 5 lessons from a local pro, I could replace all my irons or get a bunch of clubs in general. If that's your opinion, feel free to share it, but I'm reluctant to drop 300$ for lessons; it takes me over a week to earn that much, and only 4-6 hours for the teacher... Clearly the pro will have no problem affording clubs.

Which part of my set would benefit the most from an upgrade?

[GaijinGolfer]

Irons.  You are going to gain the most overall benefit from a set of newer, easier to hit irons.

[minty7890]

Driver.  I said this before, technology has improved the driver most.  If you're a good iron player, irons can be played for decades.  Recent drivers will improve your yardage my tens.

[LuciusWooding]

I have a new driver; it's not the newest or nicest model, but I hit it pretty well. I played a round today, in fact, and hit 6/9 fairways, and drove half my drives well over my usual average. It was the only club I hit well the whole round, my irons and woods were inconsistent, and my chipping was completely counterproductive. If it weren't for topping every approach, I'd have shot under 45. The older gentleman with whom we were paired seemed to think I had some sort of gift as far as distance...

I do have the older driver, a steel 12* wilson stick. I can only hit it on good days, it goes nearly as far, and has a higher fading ball flight with a bit more workability and the tendency to stop on landing. With my current driver, I've settled on a slight draw, which complements my naturally high ball flight to add some roll.

The weakest part of my game today was going up and down, and hitting second shots on long holes or after topping my tee shot. I was putting better than usual, but still dropping 4-5 shots at times from within 60 yards... Not so good for one's score.

I think new irons are worth it, the PW alone would have saved me 10 shots today if I had a better one. Comparing the old irons to my dad's, on 8-10 yard chips in the backyard, I can hit his so much better than mine that it's remarkable. The irons I use right now feel like I'm hitting hockey sticks, and

The fact is, though nice irons from the 70s are still playable, mine are not blades. They were an attempt at game improvement clubs, and did not succeed; they are as difficult to hit, if not more, than the blades I've tried. I think I do need some game improvement type clubs, maybe something along the lines of burner irons or clones of such, since I've never tried a harder to hit iron than my current set.

http://www.titleist.com/historical_clubs/details.asp?id=49

I hit my 3 and 5 wood well off the tee, but poorly off the grass today. Ditto for my hybrid.

I'd go ahead and get the irons, but to play devil's advocate it would cost between 150 and 250 for a set of clone irons, or 3-400 for used, and I'm convinced I need +1/2" to fit my height so I don't have to bend down as far, and perhaps help me stop topping. On the other hand, a 3 and 5 wood would be 60-120, and a 7 wood might be a good idea as well, so that I could afford to replace part of my set sooner. I'll have to see what I can make

It occurred to me today, though, that 300$ might be worth investing in a rangefinder or GPS. Either the markers at my local range are way short, or the course's measurements are grossly off. I usually carry a 5 wood around 160, and there was a 175 yard hole today which I carried over and rolled past a total of 30 yards from the middle of the green. It looked like the flag was about 150 to me, but a playing partner assured me to trust the official yardage. Either I hit my 5 wood about 200 yards, or I was right about the yardage. I guess I should be happy either way...

So I think the irons are the way to go, but I'm interested in hearing any other opinions.

[ettsn]

Irons. But something nice used. Always deals on sets abound. I recently picked up a set of Ping Eye2s for nostalgia's sake for less than $200. They play excellent still, and although not my daily gamers, are still fun as heck to swing (like the set I had 20y ago). A buddy of mine picked up a set of 2004 Big Bertha irons for less than $100 in excellent condition. Best part about buying used is that you can usually sell them for pretty close to what you spent on them, if you decide to go another route.