pinemeadow vs gigagolf vs diamond tour etc.

[jt952]

Hello, I am trying to get back into golf after a long time away. I am in grad school right now, so money is tight...I currently have a set of TiCat cougar walmart special clubs from when I was in middle school. These clubs are too small for me I took a few lessons in the past and am quickly remembering. I hope to take some lessons this summer. Which of these brands (and/or models) would be the best choice? I'm not worried about resale value and I know I'm not going to be a pro so those top brands are OUT! I do plan on purchasing a driver used, and am able to get some woods from a buddy. I'm mostly interested in a new iron set. thanks! JT

[tristanhilton85]

I've heard decent things about the Giga Golf stuff. However, you can get a quality set of used irons for the same price if you look around. You can even get new but slightly older (two or three year old) stuff for not much, if any, more.

[LuciusWooding]

Welcome to the Sandtrap!

Can I ask what sort of budget you plan on spending? You can get into this year's premium irons for about 600-1000$, or get an old used set for maybe under 100$. I'm assuming you want somewhere in the middle. That leaves you with the options of either brand name clubs from a couple years ago, used clubs, or components/clones.

I would like to steer you towards gigagolf of the 3 brands you mentioned, but I think Hireko and Golfworks are both a bit better in terms of options. I'd also like to recommend that you buy a partial set instead of the full set of 8 if you're a casual player; my brother and I both used 3, 5, 7, and 9 irons all of last year and improved a lot. You could also just buy a 5-PW set since the long irons are tough for many people anyway.

For older name brand stuff in brand new condition, this site is a good place to start: http://www.rockbottomgolf.com/irons-ironsets.html

They have good deals on other clubs and equipment as well, including drivers in an affordable price range. Good luck shopping out there. Buying online doesn't allow you to try the clubs out, which is nice, but there are much better deals.

[jt952]

Where is a good place to find cheap used clubs? Where can I get irons not part of a full set? I liked the way a set of nike clubs felt in my hands, but lost my breath when I saw the price (dicks sporting goods)

[sopel10]

I used pinemeadow few years ago.  Liked their irons and hybrids.  Not crazy about their drivers.  You can sometimes get an iron set, brand new, on sale for $80.

[jt952]

Did you find them to be at least of decent quality? I'm not looking for the best set in the world, just something to play that I won't hold me back even after a bit of improvement on my end

[sopel10]

Did you find them to be at least of decent quality? I'm not looking for the best set in the world, just something to play that I won't hold me back even after a bit of improvement on my end

Irons were very solid. Used them for 2 or 3 years actually.  Same with hybrids and actually woods too.  Did not like their drivers for some reason, was not crazy about the "feel" (sound).

Good value, try to get something on sale. I bought the Q irons on sale for $77 few years ago, hybrids for $40-50 or so.

[cuzcapri]

i build clubs for my friends and my self and use hireko

[jt952]

I have been looking and can't make up my mind! I swung some new nike vrs and Taylormade burner 2.0... they were very nice but very expensive. I was looking in my area for some used, but none seemed worth it.

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Cougar-Ti-Cat-Mens-12-piece-RH-Golf-Club-Set/2555005/product.html

^Those are what I have.. for what it's worth..

[jt952]

Also, I found a set of spalding "greg norman" irons in my garage.. apparently my uncle gifted them to my dad. Any good?

[Polemix]

I play off a 20 Hcp hitting my driver around 270 yards and struggling mostly with consistency issues. I picked up golf again about 18 months ago after 20 years without hitting a ball, and have consistently improved to come back to the level I played as a teenager. I'm now focused on breaking 90, which I've done about 10 times in last 20 games I've played - playing with my old clubs from 20 yrs ago doesn't affect performance much (a bit shorter, probably costs me about 2 shots per round).

I am quite tall (6"2) with long arms and large hands, so it was important for me to get custom fitted including oversized grips, longer shafts and +1° upright lie adjustment. I tried the Ping FG-30 clubs, loved them but couldn't afford them custom fitted. I bought and play a set of clones, the Z-Force Z-35 clubs bought recently from Diamond Tour Golf, with Dynamic Golf Shafts and Lamkin grips (3H, 4H, 5I-PW and SW), or UST Proforce v2 shaft and Lamkin grip (Driver). I also have a set of Gigagolf wedges (52 and 60 Pursuit s510 and 52 S2 Black Matte). I've also ordered from Gigagolf a shortened 5 iron club bent 4° upright to make a chipper, which they are currently doing for me.

For both Gigagolf and Diamond Tour, the experience was excellent. I felt their customer service was far superior to what Ping had offered and they offer a very wide range of customization options. They were willing to hear what I had to say and to adjust themselves to my thoughts, whereas the Ping guy just wanted to sell me the most expensive clubs on his shelf and rush through the fitting process. That, for me, is key. I am not a great player but I am pretty picky about my equipment and I am looking to the fitter to adjust to my tastes and not try to fit his square peg into my round hole.

In the end with the customization options I opted for, I ended up paying about US$850 for a full set, which is probably as much as I would have paid for a full set of brand new OEM clubs off the shelf. For that price, I had the clubs "made to measure" which is a whole different experience to having standard OEM clubs. I also had grips and shafts which were equal or usually superior to what the OEM clubs offered as standard. My gut feeling is these clubs play a lot better than any OEM clubs I have tried, if only because each club is taylored to my needs.

Going into the components, obviously the grips and shafts are top notch and better than what comes standard with most clubs. The club heads are the only difference, and these were only a fraction (maybe 10%) of what the OEMs charge you for their club heads if you break it down.

Gigagolf Pursuit s310 wedges: I absolutely love these wedges, they are right up there in terms of appearance and playability with the best clubs which the OEMs sell. I wouldn't trade them in for a brand new set of Clevelands or Vokeys. As far as I can tell they are as good or better than Titleist Vokeys (I used to play old Vokey wedges and wanted to replace them with new ones, initially, before turning to Gigagolf).

Gigagolf S2 Black Matte: Very good looking club with black matte finish, plays well but I have not adapted to it and prefer using my other sand wedge which has a wider sole and a higher bounce. It's a matter of personal preference, and I would certainly not throw it away. I'll keep it for the sunny season.

DTG Z-Force Z-35 Irons: As far as I am concerned, I could not tell the difference between the Pings and Z-Force club heads without looking at the logo, they are really good. Finishing/decoration is maybe a notch below the Ping finishing, but playability is a perfect 10 for me.

DTG Z-Force Z-35 Hybrids: Work well but not quite up to par in terms of feel with the Ping hybrids they are meant to mimic, the sound at contact is less of a "ting" and more of a "wack". Otherwise I'm still hitting very nice shots with these clubs with my 3H going up to 250 yards straight down, so can't complain too much.

DTG Z-Force Z-35 Driver: Not the same as hitting a Ping G30 driver, for some reason the swing weight feels off to me, too light for my taste - maybe the Ping driver I had tried had been weighted. The sound at impact is also not as pleasant. I used it at a simulator venue where the headroom was not enough and hit it against the steel structure, which made a dent in it. I'm not sure if Titanium is supposed to dent when hitting steel. Anyway, for 1/4 of the price of the comparable club, I can't complain, it's still a very good club and I don't think it affects my performance.

DTG Felon Illegal Driver: I bought this driver just for fun, it's 480cc head size is above what the USGA allows. A bit of an expensive toy at almost US$100, the quality of the finishing is not quite up to my expectations but it does what it says on the box. I estimate I hit it about 10-15 yards further than my other driver. I would definitely not have paid US$400 for a toy!

[disco111]

http://www.gigagolf.com/certified_preowned.jsp

Hope I'm not in violation of any rules by offering this link.

[bankquant]

I have a pinemeadows white command 3W and I love it. Its probably my favorite club in my bag and I hit it further and more consistently then my Adams driver .  The finish on the bottom started to wear off pretty quickly but thats kind of expected.

[RayG]

I will second Giga.. Not only for the budgetary and customization issues. Customer service was pretty good when I had an issue with grips that were out of stock. They notified me, I made a change to a grip that was a few bucks more and received them in 3 days with no additional charge. Performance wise, they work well and I'm happy. As for paying $850 bucks- If you are NOT looking for top range shaft and grip options,then a set of the TRX v.11's might run about $200(or less if there's a sale) for 3-SW, all in. The e-fit system is basic but it DID make a difference for me once I dialed into the 'proper' length and shaft angle. (Upright 1* and +1/4 length) Drivers and woods can be had as well, but I prefer rockbottom for their prices and selection. Other golfers might mistake mine for TaylorMade's, but only one or two mentioned it and I told them they were Giga's. I'm not likely to go on tour or do I worry about the 'name' on the clubs, and I have no problem mentioning that they were less than a third the price of TM's... Especially when I'm usually the better player in the group.

[Polemix]

Commenting further on the US$850 price tag of my new set of clubs, the equivalent OEM clubs are:

Driver Ping G30 - 419$ with same grip/shaft specs

3W Ping G30 - 284$

3h + 4h Ping G30 - 284$ each, $568$

5i - PW Ping G30 - 709$

SW - Ping G30 - 129$

Putter - CNC Heavy Putter - 99$ (used

Bag - 99$

Total - 2,308$.

In the DTG bag I had an extra driver for almost US$100 (DTG Felon illegal driver) so the full set was actually US$750, less than a third of the equivalent Ping set.

[RayG]

Commenting further on the US$850 price tag of my new set of clubs, the equivalent OEM clubs are: Driver Ping G30 - 419$ with same grip/shaft specs 3W Ping G30 - 284$ 3h + 4h Ping G30 - 284$ each, $568$ 5i - PW Ping G30 - 709$ SW - Ping G30 - 129$ Putter - CNC Heavy Putter - 99$ (used Bag - 99$ Total - 2,308$. In the DTG bag I had an extra driver for almost US$100 (DTG Felon illegal driver) so the full set was actually US$750, less than a third of the equivalent Ping set.

I was just commenting on the fact you don't HAVE to go to those extremes for the Giga's. Especially since the OP seems like he's just trying to get into the game a bit more on a budget. USed are certainly an option, but, and I'm sure others feel the same way, there is just SOMETHING about new clubs.

[Polemix]

Totally agree about new clubs, I wouldn't buy second hand except maybe for a second hand wedge and then again I would change the grip unless it was new. A big part of that is psychology, I know, but that counts too, and it's not just psychology. Improvements in materials and designs of clubs are not as significant as the companies would have you believe, but more importantly clubs will tend to bend depending on your game, usually the lie shifts upright and the loft increases, so you really lose distance and accuracy by using old clubs. If you do, you can have lies and lofts re-adjusted by a fitter, and if you're serious about your game, you should really do that every year (more often if you play off a artificial mat at a driving range or simulator facility).

You can get a decent set of clubs from Gigagolf or DTG for well under $500, it just depends what you're after. I think wanting 14 clubs and a bag for $300 or less is not realistic, you are bound to get crap for that price (e.g. what they sell at Costco), but for a beginner or average player struggling to break the 90s, I dont think paying the extra buck for what the pros have in the bag will make a difference. I think for a full set of game improvement clubs you should probably look to pay $500 for good clone clubs, whereas OEMs would take $1,000 off you. Top-notch clubs would set you back $1,000 with a clone company, $3,000 with an OEM. I was trying to illustrate value for money with a point of reference.

How much you're willing to spend is up to you, but if what you want is to improve your game, save the money on the clubs and buy yourself some lessons wth a good pro, that would be my advice!

[acerimusdux]

You can get a decent set of clubs from Gigagolf or DTG for well under $500, it just depends what you're after. I think wanting 14 clubs and a bag for $300 or less is not realistic, you are bound to get crap for that price (e.g. what they sell at Costco), but for a beginner or average player struggling to break the 90s, I dont think paying the extra buck for what the pros have in the bag will make a difference.

Yes, the bag alone will run $75.

But if you are willing to be patient and look for sales, clearance, pre-owned, etc., you might have to limit your selection, and be satisfied with default grips and shafts, etc., but you really could get  a full set of clubs at around $300. If you really know what you want though, you can spend a little more and get the exact clubhead style you want, get your favorite grips, and maybe even get premium shafts. The V2 shaft you went for in the driver for example, is a $40 upgrade, and the Dynamic Golds are 7.50 per club (upgrade cost).

It depends on your needs and budget.

On a tight budget right now, for example, someone could still do this (just looking at the lowest priced stuff right now on Gigagolf):

79.50 Z4 driver

34.95 Verve 17 3 wood

69.90 Verve 17 3 & 4 hybrids

95.70 MPX irons 5-PW

33.00 Verve GW & SW

=====

313.05

That's 12 clubs, anyway. And a week ago I think they had a 10% discount promo, so you might have ended up at about $290 including the shipping. And they even had a promo for awhile where if you did spend $300, they included the bag.

But the prices are low enough you might as well get what you really want. Spend the extra $60 to upgrade the grips throughout the set if you would really prefer Lamkin or Golf Pride. And the default shafts are fine if you want a light weight steel shaft, but if you prefer graphite, or the Dynamic Golds, pay the extra $60 to upgrade the irons. And rather than buy the cheapest woods and hybrids, buy the most expensive ones, the Pursuit, which have the carpenter steel face; it's only $20 more for each, and probably worth it. And maybe you prefer one of the iron sets that isn't on clearance, etc.  Very easy to get to $600+ for a full bag, and still good value at that.