Budget golfer club advice

[Hat]

I'm very much a budget golfer. Please don't judge. My aim has always been to spend more in green fees than equipment, and I don't get to play that often...so budget, point made, be kind.

i currentlyplay with some Wilson di9 irons, and have thought to update them. Recently I was seeing more modern clubs fall within a price scope (obviously second hand and not fitted..I know, but bear with...), however some of them are geared towards better players than I. But I was wondering....

The Wilson Ci100's for example. They suggest that they are for an improving player, and right now I am not improving very quickly, but they also suggest some forgiveness. Has technology moved on enough that there is sufficient forgiveness here to 'top' the old tech in my Di9's?

I know I perhaps should aim at the modern 'D' club (to stick with Wilson as an example), but I'm curious as to people's experiences. 

What do you think?

Hat.

[Piz]

I am a budget golfer as well...and I attach no opprobrium to my preference for less expensive implements.  All that matters, in a golf club, is that you like it and it serves you well.  Chasing after the latest and greatest is a fool's errand: there will always be next year...and the year after that.  Caution is advised.  If you encounter a set of irons that you imagine you could live with, and they are offered at a reasonable price, go for it...or don't.  If you encounter a set of irons that you really, really, want; that is a different matter.  All golfers, of both substantial and modest means, wrestle with this conundrum.

[WUTiger]

1 hour ago, Hat said:

(obviously second hand and not fitted..I know, but bear with...)

Many golf shops these days have a fairly accurate recipe on the trade-ins they have. Find  a set of irons that's close to what you need, using launch monitor and lie board. Next the clubfitter can tweak them a little if need be, then you're good to go.

[MarvChamp]

I don't know much but I remember the 2008 (?) irons you are playing were and are considered 5-star. I play 2009, 2010 Mizunos, MX100 and MX200. I like them. I do well with them, so I just re-shafted them instead of buying new. Yours, I think, have a special wide tip so re-shafting would be difficult and expensive. But you could check loft and lie to fit you. Anyway,I agree with the what-works-for-you philosophy. Best wishes, -Marv

[Hacker James]

Well,  those golfers of by-gone eras seem to have done well with the equipment available at the time. I  don't think you would be at that much of a disadvantage should you do the same. Another way to look at it would be to consider that the more you improve, the less you need the "latest and greatest in game improvement technology".  The advise offered above is most relevant.

[Blackjack Don]

Hope this isn't a thread hijacking, but I think it's relevant. Or not. You guys will tell me. lol

I hit Ping i/3 irons. They are considered ancient, now. I hit them as well as any new Pings I've tried. Not quite as long, not quite as straight. However, what I was told today was those i/3s are not as forgiving of mishits, but are more like blades, which I was told pros like because it gives them feedback when they don't hit the sweet spot. With game improvement clubs, they will not know what their mishits are telling them, because they might never hit the sweet spot perfectly because of the loss of feel on mishits. (Wow, is that hard to explain as I heard it.)

I know exactly what it meant to me. When I don't hit the center, I know it! When I hit it on the button, the results are sweet. I also found out that it's not my fault that it's really hard to get the i/3s in the air. (Actually, I don't do badly, but won't punish myself so much for low shots.) 

I hit the new i/200 7i today, as well as Ping G 7i. I did much, much better with the G's, but the fitter said I would have more room for improvement if I went with the i/200's. But the frustration might be tough as I struggle to hit the sweet spot consistently.

All of this seems to be telling me that I might be well off hanging onto my Ping i/3s. I also did much, much better, demonstrably, with graphite shafts. 5 mph faster.

All this is to say that the decision is not as easy, if you are trying to make the best decision. Maybe stick with what you've got until you are as consistent as the clubs?

[dave s]

First thought:  BUY USED!!!

I have 3 hobbies: golf, guitar gear, photography.  Of the 3, golf has the lowest-cost used gear rates.

Example:  Buy a 3 year old used TM driver.  Technology is not much different today from 3 years ago.  Probably get a used TM driver for $75 or less.  Pick up a used fairway wood and a hybrid for less than $100 total.  The only downside of  buying a used iron set is it might be a 3-PW set.  You won't likely use the 3-, 4-, or maybe even the 5-iron if you choose to purchase used hybrid(s).

If you shop, you should be able to accumulate a bag of decent clubs for $250-300 tops.

Want cheap gear?  Try RockBottomGolf.  Example:  I wanted a go-to 5 hybrid.  Did some research that concluded that the Callaway X-Hot was probably the easist to hit of a group of brand-name hybrids as result of a shoot out test.  Bought a brand-spankin' new X-Hot 5-hybrid from RockBottomGolf for $49.95.  Sure, it was 2 years old, but brand new!

Deals on golf gear are everywhere.  Just decide what you want, do some research and find good quality, 2-3 year old used gear.

dave

[Hacker James]

+1 on Rock Bottom Golf. I recently ordered the wrong flex driver. It was clearly marked, but I had a senior moment and placed the order for the 9.5 stiff when I really wanted the 13.5 Regular. They quickly refunded my purchase price even though it was my error. They did take off the shipping cost however, but I don't have a problem with that in this case. They are quick to respond and "Scratch" takes a personal interest in any emails you send to him.

 

[chilepepper]

Have you given any thought to putting your money into lessons instead? That will help improve your game quicker than a different set of clubs

[Hacker James]

aw Chile, don't rain on his parade. Everyone needs a good excuse to buy a set of clubs and only look for a slight nudge. Notwithstanding your advice was very well intended.

[Lagavulin62]

Its a very difficult sport to pickup and I think more so today with all the club options. The cost, esp for newbies is just out of reach for most. The equipment is pushed with training wheels that have to be discarded as a golfer moves up the different levels. You learn the basics but if you can't get feedback from your clubs how are you suppossed to know what works or doesn't in regards to a proper swing? I feel bad for new golfers who sincerely want to learn the game and who struggle on a budget like the rest of us.  

[HitAndGiggle]

We're all on a budget. Not all realize it.

[Kalnoky]

4 hours ago, dave s said:

First thought:  BUY USED!!!

If you shop, you should be able to accumulate a bag of decent clubs for $250-300 tops.

^^^ Absolutely right. There are lots of good deals to be had on used equipment. 

Everything I have, I bought used, except for my Mini Driver, which was heavily discounted from a big box store... And I only bought that one after playing for a year, and taking a lesson. No regrets!

[chilepepper]

5 hours ago, Hacker James said:

aw Chile, don't rain on his parade. Everyone needs a good excuse to buy a set of clubs and only look for a slight nudge. Notwithstanding your advice was very well intended.

    

Edited February 2, 2017 by chilepepper

[Hat]

Thank you so much guys for all the replies. It's nice to know there are other budget golfers out there too.

For some of the thoughts that have been shared:

• Appreciate all the support for buying second hand - for the amount of time I have to play, the costs are high if I buy new. As I play infrequently I'm also not that confident in my consistency of swing, so I don't feel like fitting will help me, but would be interested to hear opinions on that - perhaps basic loft and lie would still be worth it.
• I do have the occasional lesson too - I don't begrudge money in this area, but do find them more useful when I have time enough to play and put into practice what I've been taught.

One thing I'm still wondering whether some of you have experience with is that change in tech I was potentially looking at. On one hand I wouldn't want to move to a set of clubs whereby my game becomes unplayable, but on the other hand I don't want to overlook a set of clubs that may introduce me to more 'feel' if the tech has advanced enough to still give me sufficient forgiveness. Perhaps the only option is to try them out...

Thanks again,

Hat

[Lagavulin62]

Do you have the 3-pw with those di9 irons? I just looked them up and compared to the upgrades you spoke of(d100's).  Just from appearance I wouldn't trade those for the d100's. Thats just cosmetic for me and I have no idea how they actually perform.

I looked at the loft specs for your current di9's and the 3 iron has a loft of 18, which is basically a 1 iron for 35 year old clubs. The 7 iron is at 32, which would be between a 5 and 6 iron. I don't care how forgiving those clubs are, if you can make decent contact with 3-5 I would say it's time to upgrade.

This is just another aspect of "game improvement" clubs I don't understand. If clubs are made to help newbies learn the game, why are they sold a 3 iron thats really a 1 iron that even pros back in the day struggled with? People try out new clubs and they scratch their head because they never had a problem hitting a 5 iron, but suddenly it feels like they are hitting 3. 

So its just part of the jungle you are going to have to work through. But I would say look at used from 20 or earlier years back for a decent deal if you want to change what you have. 

Keep in mind the advancements have mostly been in the driver/woods and I think specialized wedges. Your everyday irons not so much, so that opens up endless possibilities for you to explore. 

 

[Gary Kay]

I call myself a budget golfer as well, but my adult sons call me plain cheap. I "always" look for discounted tee times etc. and pride myself on never paying the rack rate anywhere.  About three years ago I too decided I needed new clubs (I had just turned 65). I had been playing my last set for 15 years. They were off the rack, stiff shafts, etc. I was playing around with some new drivers at my local Golf Galaxy one day and discovered that my driver swing speed had gone down to 85 mph. I now had to accept that I was getting old as well! I noticed that Ping G20's were still available as G30's were being introduced. I gave both a try The swing monitor indicated I was hitting the 20's as accurately as the 30's with about the same speed and distance. I was able to order the 20's with graphite shafts for about 60% of a cost of new 30's with standard steel shafts. The fitting also showed I needed a more upright lie and senior shafts.The decision was pretty obvious to me, even for a cheap sob. While I'd love to tell you I got my distance of 15 years ago back, it didn't happen. I do have a lot more accuracy with a much more controlled and even slower swing.  So my recommendation is not to be too cheap, there's deals available if you look, and definitely have your lie angle requirements checked. That one fitting item helped me hit far crisper shots than ever before.

[acerimusdux]

My thoughts:

1. Up to date technology probably matters more in the driver than in other clubs. Still, the most important thing is to be well fitted. And, even here, there's really nothing wrong with technology that is 3-4 years old. Best value for budget hunters here might be 3-4 year old brand name equipment, which can even be brought new. I just got a brand new Callaway RAZR Fit extreme on Rock Bottom for $90. And if you are trying to fit yourself, the ability on these clubs to adjust weight (weight ports), loft, face angle (adjustable hosel), and even swap out shafts, will make it easier for you to get to the proper weight, length, launch, etc (and experiment a little). In my experience, not worth wasting any time with knock offs and off brands with driver, I think this is where you will see the biggest difference in quality and results with better equipment. 

2. Fairway woods and hybrids, probably still best to stick to major brands, though I've done OK here myself with some component brand (Acer) woods. But probably won't hurt if they're a few years older, so look at pre-owned, try to find what you want in terms of length, lofts, shafts, grips.

3. Irons are probably less critical to be up to date with the latest. Even relatively inexpensive component heads don't really perform much differently from more expensive clubs, spending more generally buys you more feel and finish. More important is to get into the right type of head for your game. In this case, your Di9 are already wide-soled game improvement clubs with low COG and high MOI. I don't think you'll notice that much difference with newer irons. Probably better to spend on lessons, or on fitting to make sure your current irons are really suited to you in terms of lengths, lie angles, etc. 

4. Putter I think is probably where technology matters the least. There are some new things out there that can supposedly help a little (evnroll ?), but I think for the most part a putter is a flat piece of metal on the end of a stick. And finding one you like is very much personal preference, and not really related much to cost. On a tight budget, I'm reluctant to spend more than $50 on a putter. And I doubt a new putter will do any better for me than a decades old cheapie that I'm comfortable with.