new to golf and I need advice

[scorpion12]

FireDragon, it sounds like you're making some progress... adding loft and distance to your shots is a good thing.

Don't put too much stock in the old vs new equipment argument. And don't take too much away from your titanium driver from K-Mart.

Old drivers and woods can hit the ball almost as far as new drivers and woods can. They're just a bit less forgiving. If you don't hit them in their sweet spot "right between the screws" then you've probably got a bad shot coming. PGA players were regularly driving the ball in the high 250+ yard range with persimmon drivers... so there's that.

BUT! There's nothing like new shiny equipment. The look, the feel, the touch, the smell... nothing beats it. Except maybe an eagle or an albatross. Lol.

Play with what you've got available to you and don't be embarrassed or ashamed. So you've got a titanium driver from K-Mart. Big deal. If you're able to hit the ball a fair distance (even if it's shorter like 150-170 yards, if it's STRAIGHT, then it's playable) and you'll be a few strokes ahead of the guy all decked out in Ping or TaylorMade or Callaway or Srixon or whoever he decides to fill his bag with and wear the clothes of that can't drive the ball without a massive slice (even though the sun was in his eyes) you'll do well to remember this: You're playing the course. You. Yourself. Not anyone else. Use what you have. Get to know your clubs. Trust that you can use them. Enjoy the game.

Case in point about unknown named equipment. I played last weekend with a fellow and his son. He was playing from the blue tees (furthest back to make the course longer) while I was playing from the whites (but probably should play from the reds because I am not a long driver)... he was using a driver I'd never heard of by BANG. His drives were longer than mine and straight. And he played the course pretty well. He worked that driver very well.

If you're worried about having clubs that are more modern or recognizable, there are places on the internet that you can visit to get deals. The clubs probably won't be brand spanking new, right off the assembly line, made in 2014... they might be brand spanking new, still in the box, never even unwrapped the plastic from the heads and grips, made in 2012 but they'll have more up to date technology than your 1970's 3 wood. The trick is to find it... it might be a name brand like Callaway or TaylorMade Cobra or Ping... or it might be a just as good possibly even better (depending on who you ask) Tour Edge Exotic. (They get some good reviews here because they make good stuff apparently but they don't spend big $$ on advertising or sponsoring PGA players... they concentrate on making good clubs.)

Anyway, some of these places sell used clubs. These used clubs (in a lot of cases look like they've never been hit) and are drastically discounted in price from new. That's what I did. I picked up a set of TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Irons 4-AW for $299.99 at Golfsmith. I went in looking to get the TaylorMade Burner's at the same price but unfortunately (but fortunately) they didn't have any left-handed clubs and had this better set for the same price. I also picked up a slightly used TaylorMade RocketBallz driver (adjustable) for 1/3 the price when new... $109 I think, and a 3 wood and 7 wood in the same line but 1 year newer. I'm happy with them because they replaced the 20 year old clubs I had. I can notice a difference because of the gap in technology but doubt I'd be able to tell much of a difference if I got a set of irons that were newer...

Callaway has a preowned website

TaylorMade has a preowned website

Rock Bottom Golf has used clubs

Hit garage sales. You might hit on a deal of the century. Check a local place if you can like Play it Again Sports. I picked up a set of Tommy Armor 855's for my 14 yo son for $49. 4-PW. They're older clubs but still very usable, forgiving, and cheap.

Find golf balls on the course. Play those unless they're damaged. Get them cheap, don't worry about brand... the cheaper the better. Vangator above said he plays only with balls he finds on the course and hasn't bought golf balls in a while. That's pretty good.

Don't worry about your distance driving. Play from the forward tees. You'll find that you're knocking the ball the same distance as a lot of other people that you'll be playing with... in some cases even further. Doesn't matter as long as it's straight. :)

If you want a bag that only has a  putter, some wedges, 9, 8, and 7 irons, 9, 7, 5, 3 hybrids, and a driver, then set it up and game it. Tailor your bag to the game you play. Adjust it as you go along. Change the grips on the clubs as needed.

have fun!

[FireDragon76]

FireDragon, it sounds like you're making some progress... adding loft and distance to your shots is a good thing.

Don't put too much stock in the old vs new equipment argument. And don't take too much away from your titanium driver from K-Mart.

I hope I didn't give that impression.   I actually thought the woods I bought at K-mart many years ago were very good (Ram is the brand name, by the way.   the club I used looks identical to this:

It was a lot more forgiving than the older Spalding woods I have that's a hand-me-down from my dad.    I wouldn't consider the Spalding clubs unplayable, however.

[scorpion12]

If you're using Ram then you may just be fine. From what I remember, and it's been a while, Ram was some really good stuff in its day and had some technological breakthroughs... I think that they came up with the Zebra putter... which in its day was the equivalent to the Odyssey 2 ball putter.

If you're happy with the clubs, then game them. If they knock the ball the length you'd like them to, then don't worry about upgrading. If you're wanting to carry just a few irons, hybrids or woods, and driver, then do it. Who's to say that you can't? It's working for you.

[No Mulligans]

I was an infrequent player in the 1990's.  Got Leukemia in 2004, had chemo, and as a last result a bone marrow transplant in 2011.  I'm good know but have a bone marrow transplant related condition called Graft vs. Host disease.  Didn't play golf for about 10 years during this whole ordeal.

All of this has affected my strength and flexibility.

In spite of all that I am now into golf more than ever.  All I can say regarding your situation is give it a try and hopefully you'll be able to enjoy the challenge of playing golf.

I really enjoy practicing my swing and being a bit tight on the finances I've taken to practicing in my backyard with a net and foam balls.  I practice pretty much every day.  I'll also go to an actual driving range about every other week as a reality check.

Maybe you have an area where you can do something like this too.  Regarding clubs, my instructor said, "it's not the arrows, it's the Indian".

My backyard setup which takes me about a minute to set up:

[joekelly]

You are going to train yourself, in that backyard, to become an Indian?

[FireDragon76]

I'm subscribing to LearningGolf.com and I'd like to pattern my swing after Moe Norman, because from what I read, its probably the swing least likely to bother my back, and much of that particular community of instructors seems sensitive to working with a persons physical limitations.    I also might look around the Orlando area for professional instruction, as finances permit, and I've found out there are a few golf instructors assosciated with that style of swinging in Orlando.  So, I've watched a few videos by Kirk Junge (the instructor on the website), especially the beginning drills, I practiced them a bit at home (they didn't involve full swings so it was safe to do in the apartment).   And I've been reading a few books about golf biomechanics, and the problems that having lower body tightness can cause (it can apparently cause the back to pick up the slack), which has been a big problem for me:  I've been to a physical therapist twice in the past 3 years, one time for pelvic pain syndrome, another time for sacroilitis... both times the physical therapist put me on a regimen of excercises to try to increase flexibility in the lower body.  My hamstrings are still often tight.

OK, I went to the driving range today and just had "one of those days" where nothing works right.    Maybe I was trying too  hard.  Maybe I just had too many other issues going on, but I had a lot of whiffs and misses.   Honestly I think I was doing better when I was not focused so much on getting my technique right.

I got some woods from the local Goodwill, because the old steel Spaldings' grips were so worn I was tired of getting blisters.   But, it turns out these clubs have different flexes- at least one of them is a senior shaft, the other is regular, and two of them I have no idea (they were a pair of long irons I got because they had decent grips).

How important is shaft flex at this point, and if it is important, what kind of shafts should I be looking for?  I'm totally baffled by this stuff.  I know in the Tiger Woods series it lest the player upgrade to different shaft flexes (I usually go with regular or stiff, btw... it has to do with how fast/smooth your mouse-swing works), but it only seems to have a small effect on my swing accuracy, so I thought it was something specialized and not that important (honestly, my swing tempo in TW's varies so much from day to day I figured it just wasn't that important).  I read a little bit about shaft flexes, OTOH, in real life and I discover that the flexes are associated with different levels of athleticism and physical ability, and how far one can drive, and not just the tempo of ones swing.  So now I'm confused... just how important is shaft flex for a beginner, and what should I be getting, given that I feel like I can't even hit consistently enough a lot of the time to bother with being fitted by a pro.

I did perhaps notice some strange behaviors out of the senior flex 7 wood (it says "Black Steel"- I like the design of it, it could easily replace a hybrid, I'd imagine).  It just seemed like the ball had a tendency to hook a little to the left, whereas my usual tendency is more of a slice.

[scorpion12]

With your 7 wood, is the club set for a draw or fade? It could have something like that... the head configured for a draw or fade...

If your grips are worn, from reading here, they shouldn't be too hard to replace... get a new grip, some double sided tape, some grip solvent (or mineral spirits works too I think)... cut the old grip off (easier if it's a metal shaft) scrape off the old tape, apply new tape, wet inside of new grip with solvent and push it on... let dry and you should be good to go. No more blisters.

There's a multitude of grips available at varying prices. I know Pure grips don't need the double sided tape or solvent... they're installed with compressed air.

[FireDragon76]

No, the 7 wood has nothing like that, no adjustments.  It looks like it's from the late 90's.

I regripped a few clubs years ago, but when I checked the prices of new grips last week it was pretty shocking how much grips had gone up in price.

The selection of used clubs at thrift stores isn't very good- most irons are blades, for instance, and most woods are persimmon with brass plates.    I've actually thought about playing with blade irons and persimmon woods just because they are so ubiquitous used, and at this stage I'm not noticing a heck of a lot of improvement going with weighted irons.   Maybe I'm not looking in the right places for used clubs?

[scorpion12]

Umm... used clubs are all over the place... flea markets, thrift shops like you said, golf stores, online...

It's been said that changing clubs from year to year may not help players too much... but changing clubs outside of 10 years or so, there might be a noticeable improvement... what I mean by that is club technology isn't really changing from year to year but if you're gaming clubs from a couple of decades ago, then the technological improvements of the clubs might be more noticeable.

There are a multitude of grips by several different makers... and you can get them on sale at times... it just takes some patience. You might have to sign up for some of the e-mail newsletters to receive notice of the discounts but they're out there. There should (can't say there will or won't but there should) be some sales coming up for Black Friday after Thanksgiving... and you can shop online so you don't have to deal with crowds.

You can also check the marketplace of this forum and other golf forums (if you want to) and see whether there are clubs you like at a price you like...

There's always eBay but you've got to be careful there because there are some counterfeit clubs out there... I hear they're mostly the big names like Taylor Made and Callaway... but lesser known names there shouldn't be a problem. You can always try to contact the manufacturer and have them check serial numbers of the clubs to verify for an added measure...

But you don't have to buy all of your clubs at once... one or two at a time might be good for you...

[mcanadiens]

Just my opinion, but I don't think the clubs are necessarily a massive thing early on. As long as they are solid clubs and not ridiculously miss-fitted to you, I'd say focus on your swing. Obviously there won't be anyone at a thrift shop to fit you anyway and there is always time to tweak equipment later.

My clubs were purchased off Craigslist. Someone had a set of Dunlops for $80 as he just got an upgrade as a Father's Day gift. I've added a driver and some wedges to it. Those clubs have served me well as I've learned to play the game.

[FireDragon76]

I spent another evening at the driving range.  I've been watching videos of the "Stack and Tilt" technique, and I tried to keep my weight more on my front foot.  It really did help.  I took only two clubs just to keep things simple: a 5 iron blade and a 7 wood.  The Black Steel 7 wood looks a bit like a cross between a wood and a hybrid, and of the two it was much easier to hit, even off the deck.  Lots of height, maybe 160 yards carry, which seems adequate at this point.  So maybe I need to go in the direction of woods or hybrids and stay away from anything longer than a 6 iron.   I just need to get a bit more consistent with all my clubs and I'll be ready to play a real course soon.

[mcanadiens]

If you are poking that 7 wood 160 yards and keeping it fairly straight, you'll probably do ok on most par-3 courses.  Work a bit with the wedges as well. For us beginners, most holes involve pitch and chip shots.

[inthehole]

Hi - this is a great time of year to start playing (at least in the colder parts of the country) ... courses are mostly empty & you don't have to worry about people pressuring you to play faster.    I would look for any course nearby (a par 3 course would be even better) .. and just play 9 holes at your leisure - may call ahead and ask them when is the least busy time of the day so you can play at your own pace.    As for clubs - yes, todays "super game improvement" class of clubs (SGI) are great for beginners - much more forgiving.      I started a few years ago with Taylormade Burner Plus irons - they're great starter clubs and will last years.     Ebay is great for used irons.     Probably best to forget the longer fairways woods for now - they're tough to hit even for more experienced players  ... put together a used set with a 4 hybrid, driver, set of irons, and cheap putter & you'll be all set.

PS - Stack and Tilt was by far the biggest help to me when I started playing as well - highly recommend it.

[FireDragon76]

Today me and my dad went to the driving range.  he had brought an old Big Bertha but the grip was melted down from sitting in a garage, so he borrowed my driver or 3 wood and we hit some balls together.  I started out with a 5 iron blade but was having no luck with , so I switched to the 3 wood (it's a K-mart 20 dollar titanium job, not sure on the loft), and while I was hitting much more consistently, the carry on the ball was not so great (maybe 140 yards).   I've had trouble with this 3 wood before, the flight is really low.  I started swinging my 7 wood with the senior shaft and I was hitting it just as far as the 3 wood, if not farther.  I really liked this club, the way it felt and  how far I could hit it.  The only downside seemed to be a bit less accurate, the ball flight left and right seemed to be random.  The distance was so impressive I actually am thinking about just dropping the 3W  from my rotation- one less club to carry.

So my dad told me to switch to the driver and I started hitting really good swings right away, one swing got me up to around 175-200 yards, so far I couldn't see the ball (it was night).

I had a swing tempo meter (Synca Swing) hooked up to my 3 wood and it said I was swinging at about 60-65 mph, so that was a bit disappointing.  I was hoping for more like 70-80.  I really am swinging like an old man I guess.

My dad at first was criticizing my swing style, he kept saying "don't turn the hips".  But then he couldn't argue with how straight I was driving.   I was mostly trying to use my "Stack and Tilt" stuff, combined with keeping my arms a bit further away from my body (more like Moe Norman).  Maybe I was a bit "too" bent over (he didn't like that), but it does work for me.  The only thing I wonder about if its a bit too tiring for my back.   And I didn't take any video this time so its hard to look at how bent over I was objectively.

[inthehole]

7 woods are highly under-rated today.    I bring one in & out of my bag - like it for longer par 3's - don't run it through greens, like I do with a hybrid.     Just focus on hitting it clean, distance will come with seat time ...

[FireDragon76]

Why do you not run 7 woods across the green, do they have less backspin than a hybrid?  Let's say I'm hitting on a par three onto a green, would the hybrid be a better choice?

[inthehole]

For me the 7 wood has  a much higher ball flight than an 4 hybrid of similar loft - especially off the tee (shaft is a bit longer too than the hybrid, so it's a great tee shot club) ... so I like it for courses with a couple long par 3's.