The right clubs

[lewistomkins]

I have just had a club fitting of both irons and woods, the pro who fitted me suggested a set of taylormade RSi 1 irons with aeroburner driver, 3 wood and hybrid. The custom spec also included a stiff steel shaft, +1/2 inch shaft, standard club head and a 105 shaft. I am a novice of the sport and am trying to get back into it after years of not playing. With the set suggested coming to a price of £1200, which I currently do not have I wondered if there are any sites or clubs that can be custom fitted to these specs which may be of mid range price?

[WUTiger]

I have just had a club fitting of both irons and woods, the pro who fitted me suggested a set of taylormade RSi 1 irons with aeroburner driver, 3 wood and hybrid. The custom spec also included a stiff steel shaft, +1/2 inch shaft, standard club head and a 105 shaft. I am a novice of the sport and am trying to get back into it after years of not playing. With the set suggested coming to a price of £1200, which I currently do not have I wondered if there are any sites or clubs that can be custom fitted to these specs which may be of mid range price?

First of all, welcome to TST! Good to hear someone is getting back into the game.

As for your club situation, the fitting specs would be good for the TM RSi.1 and Aero club. Different models of clubs can vary a lot in terms of loft angle, lie angle and shaft length for the different clubs. There's no guarantee the measurements would transfer to another clubmaker, or even to other TM models.

Both models of clubs are from the current 2015 year, so you won't likely find many used models that fit your specs. So, paths you might take ...

• The woods and hybrids will be most expensive per club. So, you might buy the RSi1 irons first, and then buy the others as you get more money available. Once you had the irons, you could probably get a good price on a used Burner driver and a Burner 5W (both TM, circa 2010) to use in the interim.
• Look for used clubs that would fit your personal specs. Many club shops will have the "recipe" for a specific set of trade-in irons or woods they're trying to sell. But, it appears you may be in Great Britain, so used golf equipment may not travel through formal channels as much as in the USA. So, I don't know if this second point is workable or not.

Let us know what you decide.

[lewistomkins]

thankyou for your input it was of great help, i think i may follow your advice an perhaps get the iron set first with  driver and 3 wood and leave the hybrid for the moment. You are correct I'm from the UK and havent been able to find a used set with the exact same specs. Just a quick question is there much different in the 90 and 105 shafts?

[lewistomkins]

First of all, welcome to TST! Good to hear someone is getting back into the game.

As for your club situation, the fitting specs would be good for the TM RSi.1 and Aero club. Different models of clubs can vary a lot in terms of loft angle, lie angle and shaft length for the different clubs. There's no guarantee the measurements would transfer to another clubmaker, or even to other TM models.

Both models of clubs are from the current 2015 year, so you won't likely find many used models that fit your specs. So, paths you might take ...

The woods and hybrids will be most expensive per club. So, you might buy the RSi1 irons first, and then buy the others as you get more money available. Once you had the irons, you could probably get a good price on a used Burner driver and a Burner 5W (both TM, circa 2010) to use in the interim.

Look for used clubs that would fit your personal specs. Many club shops will have the "recipe" for a specific set of trade-in irons or woods they're trying to sell. But, it appears you may be in Great Britain, so used golf equipment may not travel through formal channels as much as in the USA. So, I don't know if this second point is workable or not.

Let us know what you decide.

sorry I am new to forums, I have previously left a post and wondered if you may be able to comment, thanks.

[WUTiger]

thankyou for your input it was of great help, i think i may follow your advice an perhaps get the iron set first with  driver and 3 wood and leave the hybrid for the moment. You are correct I'm from the UK and havent been able to find a used set with the exact same specs. Just a quick question is there much different in the 90 and 105 shafts?

LT,

"Reading shafts" is an art form all in itself. Sometimes the number mentioned in the shaft description is a model number, sometimes it the weight of the shaft in grams.

For example, I got a used TM SLDR ( adjustable) 4 hybrid last week. The shaft is listed as Fujikura Speeder 82: But, the shaft weight varies according to flex (see below). Same for the SLDR S hybrid.

SLDR Hybrids (adjustable) Stock Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 82			SLDR S Hybrids (non-adjustable) Stock Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 72
	Flex	Weight		Flex	Weight
	X	82		S	67
	S	80		R	67
	R	78		M	64
Weight is in grams // M = senior flex

Club manufacturers have a web site with specs on different models. An example: http://taylormadegolf.com/SLDR-Rescue/DW-SQ075.html#start=7

To find shaft weight, look on the spec sheet for the shafts. (All parts of golf club anatomy have spec sheets). Sometimes, the spec sheets for a club model will include the data on stock shafts.

In your case mentioned, the numbers might have been the weight of the shaft in grams. in steel shafts,  a 90 gr. shaft would be one of the lightest, while a 105 gr. shaft would be more medium weight. For graphite shafts, the weights are lighter. Many iron sets come with both a stock (default) steel and a stock graphite shaft.

[vangator]

That's why I got into club building 30+ years ago. I got a couple of club building books and a swing weight scale. I have a pretty well equipped wood shop. You'll need a tube cutter for the shafts, double sided masking tape, mineral spirits and sandpaper to abraid the shaft tips (I use a grinder to lightly remove the chrome). I'll be building a set of 6 irons (Pinhawks). 6 Heads $107, shafts 6 @ $10 ( FST 115 Pro), grips 6 @ $5 (Golf Pride Tour Wrap) = $197.

[Lihu]

That's why I got into club building 30+ years ago. I got a couple of club building books and a swing weight scale. I have a pretty well equipped wood shop. You'll need a tube cutter for the shafts, double sided masking tape, mineral spirits and sandpaper to abraid the shaft tips (I use a grinder to lightly remove the chrome). I'll be building a set of 6 irons (Pinhawks). 6 Heads $107, shafts 6 @ $10 ( FST 115 Pro), grips 6 @ $5 (Golf Pride Tour Wrap) = $197.

Do you use a heat gun to remove the heads? Also is the epoxy from Golfsmith sufficient? Where do you buy the ferrules? Do you just take one that fits and kind of shape them with a Dremel tool? I'm also thinking of building my own clubs, partly because it's more convenient than waiting a week or more for someone to do it.

[vangator]

Do you use a heat gun to remove the heads? Also is the epoxy from Golfsmith sufficient? Where do you buy the ferrules? Do you just take one that fits and kind of shape them with a Dremel tool? I'm also thinking of building my own clubs, partly because it's more convenient than waiting a week or more for someone to do it.

I have a heat gun but have never used it to remove heads. I use a propane torch. Causes a little bluing sometimes but there are solvents that remove that. Golfsmith epoxy is what I use. Never had a head fail. The ferrules for the Pinhawks come with the heads. You can buy extra ferrules. I think they've standardized the sizes so you won't have to reshape them anymore.