High handicap clubs

[Golfbugged]

Newbie here who luckily stumbled upon this site. Took up the game about 3 years now and play Calloway X2 hots.  My handicap right now sits at 28. Wondering if they are the best clubs for me. Any help would greatly be appreciated. 

Thx Don

[MarvChamp]

Hey Don...Welcome! Well, lots of folks here are qualified to help you out (not me, I assure you), but I imagine they would want a little more info. For example, how old are you? How far do you regularly hit your driver and irons? Were you "fitted" for your clubs by a professional? If not, is there a pro fitter in your area who might help you? There's a lot of data that goes into selecting the right clubs for the golfer.  I'm age 72 and my swing speed with a driver is low, about 75 mph, and I tend to hit the ball on the high side. A pro can help me with loft, shafts and the like that will maximize my gifts. Same with irons. Anyway, maybe if you put out more info, someone can get you started. And really look through the threads; these folks have really helped me. -Marv

[dennyjones]

Welcome from Michigan.  

[Piz]

Hi Don, glad to have you aboard.  As per your inquiry:  I don't think that clubs make all that much difference when one is starting out.  There is a lot to be said for being familiar with one's tools; but it takes an awfully long time to determine what is, and isn't, suitable to the style of play one develops.  The X2's are fine clubs...maybe not perfect; but what is?  Learning to better utilize what you have will go a long way in determining what it is, exactly, that you want. 

[MarvChamp]

19 minutes ago, Piz said:

The X2's are fine clubs

Yes, I should have focused on this; they are very nice clubs. They were a Golf Digest "Gold" pick and are, I believe a super game improvement club. If you are having problems using them, maybe $$ is better spent on instruction. -Marv

[Lihu]

I have an X2 hot pro hybrid. X2 hot are very good clubs for beginners and intermediate players alike. Very forgiving.

[downbylaw11]

I guess avoid blades.  go with what looks good to your eye. my first set of irons had these massive cavity back heads on them, which would be considered 'forgiving' and it looks like you couldnt possibly miss the ball.  but eventually i got a nice set of callaway x forged that are more of a blade profile, but with some perimeter weighting. the heads were so small I was terrified to hit them at first thinking there was no possible way I'd even make contact lol.  boy was I wrong, the look at address made me feel confident, and the feel of the strikes were amazing, and my game improved because of it.  the moral of the story is, the clubs are only part of the story and you can hit great shots with a shovel or a butter knife if your swing is good. So I would spend a lot of time working on your swing.  but if you must spend money on clubs, buy a set that is a previous model.  I bought my x-forged around 2011 or so and they are from 2007, but they were new, and I think i only paid just over 200 bucks for them, which I consider a straight up smokin deal, and you can find similar deals on older model clubs

[Golfbugged]

Thx for the replys. I have been taking lessons off an on with our local pro and have seen some improvement. I have some limitations due to a bad back but we are working through that. Have talked to a few people here who seem to think fitting will not benefit me, but once I refine my swing some more I think I will get fitted. Bought the X2 hots  when they were 50% off at Dicks as an older model so I got a good deal on them. Hear a lot of talk about forgiving irons but seems like you all agree these irons are good for me. Thx again for the friendly help. Don

[MarvChamp]

1 hour ago, Golfbugged said:

Hear a lot of talk about forgiving irons but seems like you all agree these irons are good for me.

Well I play a MAX forgiving iron with graphite shafts, now that I have come back to golf. My GHIN is 26.3. I think they are best for me. Good luck and I know you will keep improving! It's a wonderful game. _marv

[WUTiger]

@Golfbugged, first of all welcome to the show!

As for your clubs, Callaway marketed the X2.Hot irons as Game Improvement. So, what shaft do you have? Stock offerings were the steel True Temper Speedstep 85 (R-flex weight 88 grams, S-flex weight 89 grams), or the graphite Callaway Ultralite (all flexes under 60 grams in weight).

Without going into a physics lesson, club designer Ralph Maltby rated the X2.Hot as somewhat less user-friendly than its predecessor the X.Hot. That said, you should be able to handle them as long as you can get the ball launched. The lighter shafts should help with launch. (tell us if you have Speedstep or Ultralite, or something else)

On 9/3/2017 at 8:16 AM, Golfbugged said:

I have been taking lessons off an on with our local pro and have seen some improvement. I have some limitations due to a bad back but we are working through that.

You're on the right track with the lessons. Also, if you have back trouble, the lighter shafts will put less stress on your body.

Let us know how things develop.

Edited September 4, 2017 by WUTiger