Clubs for beginners...

[RyanHindley92]

Hi,

I am new to this site so not entirely sure if I have posted this in the right section.

I am looking for any advice on a set of clubs that would be ideal for a beginner. I have played a couple of times mainly at the driving range/pitch & putt. I am planning on playing regularly (twice a week) but would like my own set of clubs so that I don't have to constantly relay on borrowing my friends.

Any advice on what clubs and where to look for be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[boogielicious]

  On 9/23/2016 at 10:01 AM, RyanHindley92 said:

Hi,

I am new to this site so not entirely sure if I have posted this in the right section.

I am looking for any advice on a set of clubs that would be ideal for a beginner. I have played a couple of times mainly at the driving range/pitch & putt. I am planning on playing regularly (twice a week) but would like my own set of clubs so that I don't have to constantly relay on borrowing my friends.

Any advice on what clubs and where to look for be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Expand  

Welcome to the forum. Best advice I can give you is go to a retailer and hit a bunch of clubs including the used ones they may have. We can tell you what we like, but you need to be happy with the ones you buy. Game improvement irons are better for beginners. Most manufacturers make them and frankly, they are all pretty good.

If you can afford it, get fitted by a good club fitter. That can set you up with clubs that fit your swing.

[WUTiger]

Also, welcome to the site.

One thing you want to do is see the clubs in person, and hit them. Some clubs will feel better than others, and be easier for  your eye to line up. It varies from person to person.

If possible, get a basic static fitting. The fitter checks you with the possible club sets on these factors:

• shaft length according to your body build and stance;
• lie angle (how flat or upright the clubs contact the ground on impact);
• grip thickness; and,
• clubhead speed matches shaft flex.

Many golf shops have good used clubs on hand, which they got on trade-ins. The shops want to sell these quickly to get their money back. Ask your friends for advice on a good golf shop.

Also, you might consider a boxed set of clubs; but, you should get a static fitting even with these. Used clubs likely would be a better fit for you, however, given you intend to play fairly often.

For initial set you probably want:

Driver, 5.wood or 4 hybrid, irons 5-PW, a Sand Wedge and a putter. (You don't need 14 clubs right at the beginning). With fewer clubs, you will have more time to practice with each. You'll be able to tell as you play more what the other four should be.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you do.

[Joey G]

Copy & Pasting my own answer on a similar thread here....

I agree about borrowing or grabbing a CHEAP bag of random clubs at a garage sale to start with but when you're ready to invest a little dough into your own set, there are really three ways to do it...

1 - Get a cheap beginner set from Golfsmith or Dick's (or other online source). Advantages (if you go instore) are you get to see/swing them first, some assistance with selection, a good matched set to start learning the game with even if they are not fitted. I recently spent $169 on a set of Lynx Tigress clubs from Golfsmith for my wife...same set is currently listed on their site for $299. They are actually quite well made/designed and will likely be all she ever needs for her game. Dick's also had a Top Flite set in the same price range...she liked the color of the Lynx set better. ;)

2 - Roll the dice with an online "Clone" company like Giga, Diamond Tour, Pine Meadow, Hireko Golf, etc...You don't get to swing them first but you can use their online fitting systems to customize size/shaft/grip options a little more than just the standard options in a box. I used to have a Pine Meadow driver that I could hit ever bit as far as my brother-in-laws latest greatest. This is a good article about clone clubs http://planet-golf.com/what-are-clone-golf-clubs/

3 - Used brand name stuff, one man's trash is literally my treasure. Try EBay, Club Finders (or other like websites) and buy a used set of matched irons of proper size/flex (used Ping Eye 2 iron sets go for $90-125 all day) and then piece together your other clubs individually. Again, you won't get to swing them first and you could get burned on a deal along the way...but if you take your time and shop smart, you can assemble a nice bag without breaking the bank this way too.

I'm lucky here in Dallas to have a PGA store, a Golfsmith, a dozen Dick's Sports, and also Club Finders Golf (used golf specialist) all within 20 minutes of my house so when I started building a new bag I decided to take the #3 route...but I am considering finishing it off with a couple of new clone wedges rather than going with older/used wedges.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[Liko81]

  On 9/23/2016 at 10:01 AM, RyanHindley92 said:

Hi,

I am new to this site so not entirely sure if I have posted this in the right section.

I am looking for any advice on a set of clubs that would be ideal for a beginner. I have played a couple of times mainly at the driving range/pitch & putt. I am planning on playing regularly (twice a week) but would like my own set of clubs so that I don't have to constantly relay on borrowing my friends.

Any advice on what clubs and where to look for be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Expand  

A fitted set, first off. If you're serious enough to buy your own, make sure that the clubs are a good fit for your height, arm length and swing posture. Some will say that getting fitted only matters to a better player; I say that a club that is a bad fit for a new player will enforce bad habits that will haunt that player for years or even decades. A properly-fitted club, especially a GI, will lead the player toward the proper stance and swing.

This is especially true when buying used; off the rack, a brand-new club with the manufacturer's "standard" lie and length will fit about 70% of players well enough to just grab and go. A used set could be adjusted any which way to fit their previous owner, and because they're "pre-swung", you're talking about a club that's been smacked against the ground (and other things) who knows how many times, so really nothing about the stock specs can be taken for granted. Spend the extra money on any new-to-you clubset to verify that each club's loft is to spec and that the shaft length and lie angle fits you.

As far as choosing a set to get fitted to you, there are a lot of opinions. My personal philosophy is you want a club that will help you out without masking your mistakes. Some of the extreme, super-game-improvement clubs, like Ping's GMAX, are built around maximum forgiveness in ball-striking and swing path; hit the ball anywhere on the clubface and you'll get a playable result. While this gets you off the driving range and onto the links faster, it limits improvement, because you don't need to improve ball striking or swing path mechanics much more than simply getting the clubface onto the ball. While GI clubs will forgive, there's a limit, so ultimately having a very forgiving club is self-limiting. This is my experience. However, even scratch players often play irons with at least some level of forgiveness designed into them; just because their technique is good enough for a blade doesn't necessarily mean that's the best club choice for a round, especially when there's money on the line and every shot counts.

So ultimately I think "what clubs" comes down to how you want to spend the next year or two. If you want to invest a lot of range time and delay your first round with your new clubs by a few months, I would recommend buying slightly above your skill level, to give you a clubset that will provide greater feedback and allow you to really dial things in before you head our on the course. If you want to start playing rounds as quickly as possible, go for GI/SGI as your first set, and keep your eyes peeled on eBay or 2nd Swing for one or two individual clubs from a better-player model line that you can use to keep yourself honest on range trips.

[JxQx]

Ebay may be a good place to check, there are people selling complete sets on there. Definitely would recommend going cheaper on the set and spending money on lessons.

[Kalnoky]

Something I've seen a lot of guys do for their first set is use the Ping color chart (just Google) and buy the corresponding color dot iron set on eBay. The old Ping Eye and Ping Zings are comparatively inexpensive. Most people of average height and length play standard length and lie, but it's worth checking.. I'm guessing you don't want to spend hundreds of pounds on your first set, this a cheap way to do it.