The journey to buying new clubs!!!!

[srjorion]

Back in December I decided it was time to buy some new clubs. I was fortunate enough to have moved into a new job where I could afford it and also figured I deserved it. My old clubs are 20 years old and I have played with them since I played golf in high school. They have been good to me, but I must move on now. I decided to revamp my entire bag with the exception of my putter.

I wanted do this right so I took some lessons to fix my swing before getting fitted. I went to a pro at the golf course near my house and told him my goals of improving and getting new clubs. After each lesson I asked if I should get fitted or wait another lesson. After the third lesson I finally got the green light to buy some new clubs.

I figured it would take about a week to get everything done, but boy was I wrong! I went to a golf shop and talked to a guy my pro recommended. I thought I would be hitting clubs in their shop on their computer setup the first time I went in and be walking out with an order for new clubs. It turns out that I was given some demo clubs to take home and try. Again, however, I thought it wouldn't take long after that before I was holding the new sticks.

The irons were pretty easy. I hit one club I thought I wanted, the Callaway X-Forged irons. I really liked the way they looked and they had all of the features I was looking for (good look, thin top line, no offset). The guy at the shop suggested I try the X-20 Tours. At first I said no because I was hooked on the look of the Forges, but I decided to give the Tours a try just to be safe. I took a demo club to hit and it turns out I really loved the club. I'm so glad I did and ended up buying the Tours. Score one for the guy at the store.

I also demoed an Adams hybrid. I had never hit a hybrid before and was very surprised at the performance. My pro had suggested giving them a shot and considering getting a 2 and 3 hybrid to instead of a 5 wood and 3 Iron. That was easy after hitting the demo club on the range and on the course, and I decided to go with a 2 and 3 hybrid for the Adams Idea Pros.

For wedges, I stuck to the same line as the irons. I'm really not into the oil can finish, so I went with the chrome finish in the X-Tour Callaway's, 52/11 and 56/13. Considering I've been playing with a $5 yard sale wedge for the past few years, I'm very excited to have some new wedges to improve my short game.

Now, for the driver and 3 wood. This was the hardest part of the fitting process. For starters, I was given a couple of choices of clubs to hit based on my abilities. First, I took an FT-5 to demo. Honestly, I really didn't like the looks of it at first, but thought I would give it a try. Since my driver was 10 years old I had not hit any of the larger head drivers. Well, I quickly got over the weird look after hitting it on the range a few times. I then played a round, which was actually a tournament, with it and really liked it. I still wanted to try another club before then.

I wanted to try the Taylor Made Burner, but the shop I was using did not have the demo club available in the specs I wanted. Someone had it checked out and did not return it for a few weeks. I was about to give up and just go with the FT-5 when it finally was returned. I got the Burner this week and went out to give it a try.

I played 9 with the Burner at first because the range at my course was closed. I hit it OK but had a few short drives that surprised me. I went to the range the next day and the distance was not what I had expected. I then played 18 in a Shamble tournament, and my partners were disappointed in my drives for the first 9 holes. Usually I'm accurate, but they said I was not as accurate as I was normally. On the back 9 however I started figuring things out and hit some better drives. In the end, however, I decided that the Burner was not as good as the FT-5 for me for both distance and accuracy.

Today, I returned the Burner and started the process of buying clubs. Everything was in stock with the exception of the driver and one of the wedges. I wound up walking out of the store with the following:

Callaway X-20 Tour Irons (4-PW)
Adams Idea Pro 2/3 Hybrid
Callaway Big Bertha 3W
Callaway X-Tour 56 degree/13 Bounce Wedge

Next week I'm picking up the Callaway FT-5 (9 degree/Stiff flex) and X-Tour 52 degree/11 bounce Wedge.

I'm quite excited about my new set of clubs. While I truly believe my game depends on my practice, lessons, and dedication, I also feel that having the right tools will shave some strokes off my game. I recently tied my best ever score and feel I have a better game in me. Hopefully after a few weeks of practicing with the new clubs I will be able to finally beat that 87!

I know this was a long post. Thanks for reading it if you made it this far, and I hope it helps anyone else out there who is looking to get fitted for some new clubs!!!

SRJ

[Metz]

Your process of buying new clubs is a lot better than mine. I have recently added a new set of clubs. I played with a set of titleist dci's or callaway x-12s forever, and now decided to try the Mp-60s. I believe that I still would have chosen the clubs but if I would have taken a lesson it would have helped. I will have to try that next time.
Also great choice of clubs. The x-20s feel great.

[srjorion]

I really have to give credit to the guy I was working with at the store for getting me to try the X-20 Tours. I was set on the X-Forged clubs and he insisted I at least give them a try. I'm so glad I did now.