Advice for a beginner: irons

[philiprst]

I hope I have posted this in the right forum but I do have a question that is a variant of the best clubs for a beginner topic.

I took up golf again after a very long hiatus (20 years) and for the past three months I have taken some lessons, gone to the range and played a few rounds. I have been using borrowed and rented clubs as I need them. This is fine but it has occured to me that I am spending money on rentals that I could put to better use getting my own clubs and I am pretty sure that using different clubs almost everytime I play is not very good for developing my game.

I was thinkng of getting something basic used to start off with and this is still the plan. But while visit family on the other coast my brother in law mentioned that he had a set of Ping K15 irons that he was planning on trading in for something new and offered them too me for $100 less than he had been offered by the store. It's a good and kind offer but I am concerned about a couple of things.

First, these seem to be well regarded and expensive irons when bought new. That's great but I am concerned that they might be too advanced for my level of play and cause me to struggle compared to a set designed for beginners. Second, the irons were fitted for him and he is 6'3" compared to me at 5'10". I don't really understand the whole process of fitting and to what extent a set of clubs specifically fitted for one individual would cause problems for a beginner. If I was to keep these clubs for the long term, is it possible at a future date to get them fitted for me?

Thanks so much for all your help.

[Long Ball Larry]

The K15s are considered SGI (super game improvement) irons, so they would be appropriate for beginners. A static fitting based on physical measurements would most likely make his clubs incompatible with you due to a five-inch height difference. There's also the chance that his irons are longer than standard length since he's 6-3, so I would pass on them. But, to answer your question, it is possible for you to get them fitted at a later date.

[newtogolf]

The irons might be a bit longer length than you would need, but they can be trimmed to the proper length by a pro shop.  You might want to find out what the shaft stiffness is as well and make sure that they are the right shafts for you.  As for matching your skill level, K-15's are targeted to beginners so they are perfect for you.

[philiprst]

Thanks so much for providing me with your insight. I truly appreciate it.

[guiseppe]

Look for a "demo day" in your area and go hit a bunch of clubs. What is good for someone else may not be good for you. There are a lot of great clubs out there. You may end up with thhe pings but at least you have cleared the doubt from your head by trying others. Plus pay attention to the shafts: they are the engine that drive the club. My eye-opening experience came several years ago when I got fitted for clubs. The heads/brands made very litlle difference. Once I found the right shaft it mattered relatively little what brand head was on it.

[darkhunter139]

How much does he want for them? Honestly if the shafts are the right flex and you like them i'd go for it.  I know ping only charges $18 plus shipping to have the lie adjusted and I don't think getting them trimmed would cost too much.

[WUTiger]

At first your bro-in-law's offer looks like a good deal, but it may not be. Consider...

• He's 5 inches taller than you are. This means likely adjustments of both lie angle and shaft length.
• Get a Ping-style fitting, and see how close your club recipe is to the set he has. There's a limit on how much the lie angle can be adjusted without damaging the club. Ping pioneered the idea of providing the lie angle you need at purchase - check out their color-coded fitting chart.
• Also, major trimming of the shaft will alter the swingweight. Every half-inch trimmed lessens the swingweight by 3 clicks.
• You're not only interested in lie angle and shaft length, but the characteristics of the shafts. If you have a smoother swing, you don't want shafts so stiff you can't get the ball up. Also, if you have good swing speed, you don't want high-launch shafts that will balloon every shot above a 5-iron.
• You know something about the game, and with the lessons and it sounds like your residual swing is back. Why not just get fitted for your own set?

As for the K15 irons, definitely worth looking at. I tested some K15 fairway woods, and they were solid!

BTW, welcome back!