Should I buy a practice set?

[bethpagewarrior]

Should I buy a practice set?

I'm considering buying a practice set of players' clubs.  I currently play Callaway Apex's, game-improvement, but my thought is that if I practice with some blades it'll lessen my misses when I take the more forgiving clubs out on the course.

Has anyone done this and how'd it workout for you?  I appreciate any thought, thanks.

[MarvChamp]

Not blades but my Mizuno MX-200's are forged "tweener" clubs, in my estimation. With narrower soles and a bit less offset, they require a bit more precision and offer more feedback than my super game improvement clubs. So I practice with them about 1/3rd of the time. And I play them as well because I really like them and intend to play them the majority of the time at some point. My impression is that it helps me focus with my other clubs. Maybe you would do well to be sure  to get a set that you ultimately intend to play? But remember: I'm a really high handicapper coming back to the game. I hope someone else will chime in who knows what they are talking about. -Marv

[Shindig]

I thought about it, but I don't see the advantage of it.  Certainly not for the full set.

I have considered in the past getting a second six-iron and using that at the range, as it's the club I hit the most at the range, but I don't think even that makes a difference.

I have also considered getting the six iron from a better players' set for the reason you outline, but I'm not convinced that'd help.  There's also the risk that your tendencies (trajectory, height, etc) will be different with that one, and that can hurt when you actually play. 

[Valleygolfer]

No it is not worth it. Learn to hit the clubs you already play well and move up as necessary. They are just not worth messing with unless you have mechanics in order. I played with blades for a couple of years and played decent enough but the feed back didn't make me hit any better. I obviously knew when I didn't hit the sweet spot but I know that with my AP2s as well. Your apex's should be able to give you this information.

[David in FL]

No.

Get better with the club's you play with.

[Buckeyebowman]

I'm of two minds here. I grew up with golf in the days of forged player's blades, persimmon woods, and tiny, tiny clubheads. Yet, we learned to hit them. I think it made our swings more precise.

Yet, I'm not certain how practicing with different clubs than you will play with will affect your game. Unless you can acquire a set that is exactly the same in swingweight, length, loft, lie, and shaft characteristics, you could be setting yourself up for hardship. Why not take that money and invest it in lessons?

[iacas]

2 hours ago, bethpagewarrior said:

Should I buy a practice set?

Yes.

I am going to be reviewing the CrocBox here soon. Check that out.

[Valleygolfer]

31 minutes ago, iacas said:

Yes.

I am going to be reviewing the CrocBox here soon. Check that out.

He said set not net. A net I would agree with.

Edited July 5, 2017 by Valleygolfer

[JonMA1]

3 hours ago, bethpagewarrior said:

Should I buy a practice set?

I'm considering buying a practice set of players' clubs.  I currently play Callaway Apex's, game-improvement, but my thought is that if I practice with some blades it'll lessen my misses when I take the more forgiving clubs out on the course.

Has anyone done this and how'd it workout for you?  I appreciate any thought, thanks.

Keep in mind that I'm not good at this game, so take my opinion for what it's worth.

I practice mostly with the set I play on the course. However, when I'm having trouble and can't figure out what's going on, I'll often take the 3iron from an old set of blades to try and identify the problem.

With my GI clubs, I can get a decent result from a less-than-decent swing. For me it makes identifying the root cause a bit more difficult.

But not this evil 3 iron.

It's pretty much "black and white" as to whether or not I'm accomplishing my keys. The club doesn't always tell me what I'm doing wrong, but it definitely lets me know I'm doing something wrong.

I can sometimes work out an issue faster and with more certainty using this 3 iron. Once I start consistently hitting better shots with it, I know I've gotten closer to a better swing. I can often transfer that feel to my GI irons.

[woodzie264]

8 hours ago, iacas said:

Yes.

I am going to be reviewing the CrocBox here soon. Check that out.

just checked that out - if it's quality, that looks awesome!

[boogielicious]

I have a spare set that I use for practice. I usually only bring the Driver, 7 iron, PW and my 54. I have a small Mizuno stand bag to put the clubs in.  I also put my tripod in the long pocket. I find this set up really convenient to bring to the range instead of lugging my full bag.

You can usually find matching single clubs to your current set on eBay.

[iacas]

23 hours ago, Valleygolfer said:

He said set not net. A net I would agree with.

Ha ha ha ha ha. I'm a ****ing idiot.

Sorry. I even read the first post and convinced myself somehow that you were going to practice into the net with your practice set of irons. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I was braindead temporarily or something… Sorry.

---

I don't think you need to buy a practice set, but if you want to pick up a spare club that's got similar specs (the shaft, weight, length, etc. - the clubhead can be a different kind), then that's not a bad idea. Especially if, like me, you do a lot of practice with, say, a 6-iron.

[bethpagewarrior]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

Ha ha ha ha ha. I'm a ****ing idiot.

Sorry. I even read the first post and convinced myself somehow that you were going to practice into the net with your practice set of irons. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I was braindead temporarily or something… Sorry.

---

I don't think you need to buy a practice set, but if you want to pick up a spare club that's got similar specs (the shaft, weight, length, etc. - the clubhead can be a different kind), then that's not a bad idea. Especially if, like me, you do a lot of practice with, say, a 6-iron.

No worries! The CrocBox actually looks awesome, will definitely be my next net once my old one wears out.

[Valleygolfer]

On 07/04/2017 at 10:25 PM, iacas said:

Yes.

I am going to be reviewing the CrocBox here soon. Check that out.

 

41 minutes ago, iacas said:

Ha ha ha ha ha. I'm a ****ing idiot.

Sorry. I even read the first post and convinced myself somehow that you were going to practice into the net with your practice set of irons. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I was braindead temporarily or something… Sorry.

---

I don't think you need to buy a practice set, but if you want to pick up a spare club that's got similar specs (the shaft, weight, length, etc. - the clubhead can be a different kind), then that's not a bad idea. Especially if, like me, you do a lot of practice with, say, a 6-iron.

I had to go back and reread the original post because you had me convinced I miss read it for a second.

 

[gregsandiego]

On 7/4/2017 at 4:27 PM, bethpagewarrior said:

Should I buy a practice set?

I'm considering buying a practice set of players' clubs.  I currently play Callaway Apex's, game-improvement, but my thought is that if I practice with some blades it'll lessen my misses when I take the more forgiving clubs out on the course.

Has anyone done this and how'd it workout for you?  I appreciate any thought, thanks.

Like some others in this thread I'm not qualified to give pro tips.

But I am fond of experimenting. I see no downside - what's the worst that can happen? And couldn't you buy just 2 or 3 blades to test your theory?

[Buckeyebowman]

On 7/5/2017 at 10:29 PM, iacas said:

Ha ha ha ha ha. I'm a ****ing idiot.

Sorry. I even read the first post and convinced myself somehow that you were going to practice into the net with your practice set of irons. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I was braindead temporarily or something… Sorry.

---

I don't think you need to buy a practice set, but if you want to pick up a spare club that's got similar specs (the shaft, weight, length, etc. - the clubhead can be a different kind), then that's not a bad idea. Especially if, like me, you do a lot of practice with, say, a 6-iron.

That probably comes from reading some of my posts!