Beginner - equipment check

[kramanat]

Hello all, glad to be on this forum. I am a complete newbie - as of yesterday, finished my 8th day in the driving range and 2nd 45 minute coaching class.

Came across a set from a friend that has these:

Cleveland CG 16 irons with Actionlite graphite shaft (4-PW)

Choice of a Taylormade RBZ or Mizuno MP630 driver (thinks the Mizuno may be good 6m into golfing)

Nike Sasquatch 2 and 3 woods

Taylormade Ghost putter

My initial reaction was that this was too much gear for a starter but he insists that these can be a good starter to intermediate set.

I am 5'7 and 140 lbs if that is relevant.

He is asking for around $500 for the set including some extras (shoes, balls etc) thrown in. My other option would be to start off with a Callaway Strata set for around 200-250$. Open to recommendations.

Thanks for your inputs.

[Hardballs]

Wait! Don't do anything! Your right in buying 2nd hand to start with, but I'm not personally familiar with these clubs and I suspect you could do much, much better for that kind of money! I'm sure you'll get some great advice on here over the next 24 hrs! Good luck though, and welcome!

[kramanat]

Thanks. Will hold on.

Though I have to say I am not in the US and currently live in a place where golf equipment is quite expensive (probably 50% more expensive).

[Bigwonk44]

Personally, I would turn that offer down. The Mizuno driver and the putter are nice clubs maybe you could get one of them alone but according to the pga value guide on clubs that set's resale value is under $300 ($282.52 to be exact). These are not bad clubs at all but I think he may be overpricing you a bit. They could be a good set of clubs if you could drive the price down to maybe $350. I would not recommend a strata set. I'm a big non-believer in the full sets. If your looking for a set i could suggest some of each type. Driver - taylormade r5 you could get for around 40 bucks on ebay, callaway diablo edge driver you could get for about the same price. Both great drivers. Woods - callaway diablo edge, pretty much any older callaway model is a great one. Irons - Ping eye 2 irons(not pretty but they will last forever and really do perform) I've seen them anywhere from 60 dollars to about 200 for a set. They look the same whether they had been used frequently or not touched, callaway diablo edge you can get for under 200 for a set great for beginners. Wedges - Old titleist vokeys are fantastic if you look for the 2009 versions you can get them for cheap and no matter how they look they will perform pretty well. And putters are really up to you. If I were to offer a suggestion for a set makeup I'd say driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, 4-PW, 50, 54/56, and 58/60 degree wedges. Thats a pretty good starting setup. Just thought I'd add that. Hope this helps a bit!

[randyfitz]

look for a set of taylormade burner 2.0 on ebay.  they are long and forgiving for a beginner.  you can get a new set for $250 or less and they will last for years.  I think you can order them from golfsmith for $299 even.

check the reviews - they are great clubs.

i have a one year old set i would sell you for $175. i just bought the new taylormade rsi1's.

[logo]

I bought the set in my signature for around $400-450. I bought the taylormade 2.0 irons new from dicks for $299 and the other clubs on ebay for $25-$40 with shipping. I would definitely go used and get good clubs. I was debating the calloway strata like you were and am much happier now that I made this choice because I know I will not outgrow these in a season or two.

A few pieces of advice on buying used though - research 1-2 brands of clubs that you want and just search those specifically. I knew I wanted ping so I figured out the beginner ping clubs and just looked for those models. Also, only buy from reputable sellers on ebay so you dont get fake stuff. Just look at their feedback, see if they are certified to sell the stuff, etc.

[WUTiger]

Hello all, glad to be on this forum. I am a complete newbie - as of yesterday, finished my 8th day in the driving range and 2nd 45 minute coaching class.

Hold up! What you need to do is tell you coach/instructor that you're interested in getting some clubs.

You want to buy some clubs that fit you. Your instructor could help you with this, and probably find some used clubs.

You need to test hit different clubs until you find some that you like, feel confident with.

Early in your swing life, you need a basic static fitting: This checks the shaft length and grip thickness, shaft flex, and the lie angle of the irons. From there, you can check out the driver and woods.

[kramanat]

Hi all, sorry for being offline for the last week or so. Thanks for all the comments and inputs.

Yes, I did take my coach's inputs on the clubs. He likes the Cleveland Irons and also checked the gear - looks like they have hardly been used at all. The owner has 3-4 other sets and does not use this very often. He was moving out of here and did not want to carry this set paying excess baggage.

I currently live in Dubai where the access to used clubs is limited and typical price of golf equipment is twice of what it is in the US. The shops here carry a beginners set called Wilson X31 and this set is sub-200$ in the US and it is 435$ here!! That should give you an idea. I am yet to see any set of irons in the shops for less than 300$. Most are in the 500$ range.

So, I finally picked up the entire lot and the current owner threw in some extras - a pair of shoes (footjoy dryjoy), 2 gloves, balls etc etc. I also picked up both the drivers (will try both over the next month and probably give up one). I think I paid 30-50% extra for the gear but I think the prices here make this a decent deal.

I will use this for the next 6m or so and when I visit the US during the summers, I plan to get the custom fitting done and pick up some gear.....

[phread59]

I'm going to buck the trend and say you did the right thing.  Especially since you got both drivers.  If that 2 wood is indeed a 2 wood get that puppy on E-Bay.  I may be wrong but that 2 wood has a cult following.  It should net you some decent change.  It would allow you to get some more clubs to fill the gaps you have.  Heck see if you can trade for what you need.

Get those Clevelands bent to your specs and have at it.  I think you did well.

Mark Shuman

[kramanat]

Thanks Mark. Yes, it is both the drivers and 2 and 3 woods. From what I saw, the standard set seems to be 3 and 5 woods and so I was not sure if I should start with a 2 and 3. The seller said the same thing that the 2 wood is a 'special' wood and that if it didn't work for me, it should get decent resale.

This place has insane prices.....and buying it on ebay incurs a 30-70$ shipping charge - per order.

Like the Clevelands so far.

Just tried out the Taylormade driver and the 3 wood today - need to work on the swing, a lot!!  Hardly got 1 in 8 shots right.

[jamo]

That doesn't sound like a bad deal. Lots of gear, a pair of shoes (hopefully they're your size...?). Sounds pretty good to me.

[kramanat]

Yes, the shoes are my size - half a size smaller would have been more snug, but this is good for a start :)