Rediscovering Golf After 10+ Years...

[Warfish]

When I last played, I was 20, a College Athlete, 6'5" and 290 of pure Strength.

I am now 31, 385 of pure Beer Belly, with a torn ACL my MD's won't repair (de to weight).

So I figured NOW is the perfect time to re-take up the fine Sport of Golf!

So, I went out and pickud up a set of clubs at Dick's Sporting Goods, a brand called Accuity. I didn't notice the clubs were "Senior Flex", although it's been so long since I played, I don't know if thats good for me or not.

Long story not-so-short, I tend to be a gear snob in most on my hobby endeavors (I don't use a Fishing Rod, I use a G-Loomis, I don't play guitar, I play Gibsons, etc, etc, etc).

But it's been so long, I have no idea A. Whats good today, and B. What would be appropriate for a still-strong but rather unflexable and out of shape older guy.

My Father (RIP) used to play PING, so I feel a bit of brand loyalty to that (as a younger man I walways wanted to play what my father did, even though he was horrid at the sport).

But I also like the look (and perhaps cost) os some current Callaway and Titleist equipment, but frankly am lost on where to start.

I plan to replace the starter set in about 4 months, when I can have ~$1300 to spend on Golf.

So, sorry for being so open ended, but any and all suggestions are welcome. After all, asking this is why I joined.

Thanks in Advance.

[MGP]

If you are going to have that kind of money to spend on golf gear then I'd definitely go to a clubmaker, demo lots of different clubs, get on a swing monitor, etc.

With your size it's almost a certainty that anything "stock" or "off-the-shelf" is not going to fit you well. A good clubfitter will be able to analyze your size and swing and match the clubs to you as best as possible. It will make a difference in your game and especially in your ability to improve.

[lamebums]

Having a club in "senior's flex" isn't necessarily a problem, unless you swing really fast (and if you are as you describe, I'm not going to wager on a 120+ mph swing yet .) The problem with getting any set of clubs off the shelf, as I learned the hard way (at 6'4'') is that they're too short, or at least, the irons are. This gets more pronounced if you try to hit wedge, and you're hunched over the damn thing (and probably push-slicing your shots as well).

Although Acuity would make good for a decent starter set, I presume, don't be surprised if they start breaking down (literally) after more than a few months, if you play a lot of golf. Last summer, I bought an Acuity driver to replace a dead one, and it's survived to this day, albeit with many dents in the club from horrid mishits (I gave it to a cash-strapped friend who desperately wanted "a bigger club to hit" because he always missed with his smaller club...he still mishits) The thing about the Acuity stuff however, I think, is it felt cheap, and wasn't particulary durable. Don't be surprised, as a big guy, if you make a horrid shot and the clubhead flies down the fairway.

Assuming you're starting from scratch at golf all over again, look for a driver in regular flex (if you're like me, stiff flex will actually cost you distance), a lot of loft (at least 10*5), and as much forgiveness as possible. Irons, look for "game improvement" irons, or cavity backs. Some people say that they are less responsive, and it's more difficult to work the ball, but they are much more forgiving on off-center hits (toe, for example).

Someone here will probably tell you to get blade irons, but remember that you can probably get the same distance from both clubs when you hit them on the sweet spot, but hit them both on the toe and the blade will be a hell of a lot further off to the right than the cavity back.

Oh, and welcome back to the wonderful world of the sport where people enjoy getting up at 6 AM on a Saturday to spend all day trying to hit a small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons ill-designed for the purpose.

[Warfish]

Thank you both for the advice, it is appreciated.

While it is true I appreciate the aethetics of Blad-Style Irons, I have heard (as you lay out as well) that they are far less forgiving for a new player. I also appreciate teh advice on fitting, as I am quite an unusual size, when compared to the average.

I suppose, when it comes to brand, it'll all be personal taste and looks more than anything else anyway. A top-of-the-line Max-Game-Impreovment PING Iron set should be just as good as one from Callaway or Titleist or Taylor Made, etc.

Well, if nothing else, I still have four more months of 3-days a week at the range and a few more actual rounds to play before I have to make any kind of decision.