Clubs? I’m a beginner and I’m shopping for clubs

[Drew2185]

What brand should I buy? I am a beginner and I been playing for about 5 months with some hand me down clubs.

And I do t know anything about clubs. Thanks for the help.

[iacas]

You can find a generation or two old set of clubs on eBay pretty inexpensively.

[MarvChamp]

28 minutes ago, iacas said:

You can find a generation or two old set of clubs on eBay pretty inexpensively.

Thank you for this. Some put down eBay for first clubs. And many will say a person starting out should go get fitted with top line clubs from the get-go. 

For me @Drew2185, maybe you could do some Google research of reviews of game improvement clubs for beginners; then compare those clubs on Maltby Playability Factor; then search for your choices on eBay, being careful to study the condition of the clubs, the seller's reputation and the condition of sale. And before buying, go to a golf shop that has a swing monitor to get an idea of swing speed.

Research different shafts. Try to match the flex of the shafts of your clubs to your swing speed. Also, try to swing shafts of different weights and get similar shafts in your clubs. You may be surprised that you can snag really premium clubs that you will be happy with for a long time. Anyway, the search for clubs that somehow sing your name is part of the joyful mystery of golf. Best wishes in it, -Marv

[Patch]

What Iacas posted is good advice. I have purchased stuff off ebay. Even sold stuff on there.

Maybe go to a local golf shop, pay a few bucks, and get  preliminary lie angle, and shaft flex numbers for your current swing. That will keep you looking in the right direction for a better, beginning fit. 

Then again,  to save yourself possible torments, numerous head aches, suicidal thoughts, perhaps you might just want to buy baseball stuff.......................just kidding

Edited January 9, 2018 by Patch

[MGN]

While the place to look (eBay) is perfectly good start, the kind of clubs you should look at should be game-improvement or super game-improvement variety; i.e. something that has a lot of forgiveness, until you get the hang of the game.

Checking your swing speed is also a good recommendation; and here your driver may be a different stiffness shaft from your irons.  In my case, although I play with  a regular flex shaft irons, I use a stiff flex UST ProForce shaft for my driver.

Good luck and enjoy this wonderful game.

[WUTiger]

Ask friends who play if the can recommend a good golf shop. The shops often have excellent sets of used clubs which cost less than new ones. And, the shops want to sell these trade-ins quickly to get their money back.

15 hours ago, Patch said:

Maybe go to a local golf shop, pay a few bucks, and get  preliminary lie angle, and shaft flex numbers for your current swing. That will keep you looking in the right direction for a better, beginning fit. 

 This is called a basic static fitting. Just what a beginner needs.

14 hours ago, MGN said:

the kind of clubs you should look at should be game-improvement or super game-improvement variety; i.e. something that has a lot of forgiveness, until you get the hang of the game.

More sound advice from MGN.

If you have golf shops in the area, I would avoid eBay for this next set. Once you understand golf better, eBay can be a source of clubs.

[StefanUrkel]

Get a set of Graphite Big Bertha irons from the 1990's. As good as any club today. Do the comparison

[jamo]

I'll echo what everyone has been saying about used clubs. It's particularly easy if you have a big box golf store or a Play it Again Sports nearby.

[RussUK]

12 hours ago, StefanUrkel said:

Get a set of Graphite Big Bertha irons from the 1990's. As good as any club today. Do the comparison

Dont know about going for graphite as a beginner. Yes, it makes the clubs lighter and transmits less shock to the hands on bad hits but surely finding a set that old in decent condition is going to be a bit of an ask? I've seen steel shafts from that era that are in perfect nick, steel  must be more durable than that age of graphite.

I'd much rather start with steel shafts then, if i really had to, go the graphite route on a more modern set with more technologically up to date shafts. Plus steel shafted irons seem to be easier to sell. Just my opinion.

Its a similar reason i dont like the cheapo new sets in graphite, the shafts are too flexible. 

[Eric C]

I have had really great experience with https://www.globalgolf.com when purchasing used, or even new clubs. They seem to do a good job of rating the condition of the clubs, and the prices seem very reasonable to me. Shipping is quick and cheap, and when I had to return a club it was very easy to do.

[Moxley]

43 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Its a similar reason i dont like the cheapo new sets in graphite, the shafts are too flexible. 

Just interested in this observation Russ. When i started, i bought myself a very cheap Dunlop tour 2 hybrid. Despite the cost it's actually been a great club for me as it flies straight as an arrow with very few mishits off tee. It's not very long (about ~175-180) and trajectory is almost random, but I can let both of those things go because it goes straight without me trying. I need to replace it now due to extensive head damage , and was wondering what it was about the club that made it so hittable for me, so I could get something similar but better. Was this the type of cllub you were talking about? wondering if I suit a bit more flex in my graphite clubs. 

Back the main topic, I'd personally recommend something cheap that you won't mind replacing if and when you get into the game. I wouldn't worry too much about custom fit for 1st set because part of custom fit is how you swing (not just height etc) , which you won't really know until you've played a bit. 

[RussUK]

45 minutes ago, Moxley said:

Just interested in this observation Russ. When i started, i bought myself a very cheap Dunlop tour 2 hybrid. Despite the cost it's actually been a great club for me as it flies straight as an arrow with very few mishits off tee. It's not very long (about ~175-180) and trajectory is almost random, but I can let both of those things go because it goes straight without me trying. I need to replace it now due to extensive head damage , and was wondering what it was about the club that made it so hittable for me, so I could get something similar but better. Was this the type of cllub you were talking about? wondering if I suit a bit more flex in my graphite clubs. 

Back the main topic, I'd personally recommend something cheap that you won't mind replacing if and when you get into the game. I wouldn't worry too much about custom fit for 1st set because part of custom fit is how you swing (not just height etc) , which you won't really know until you've played a bit. 

I like my clubs to feel a bit meaty so i generally go for steel (irons) or stiff graphite (woods and hybrids). I have a Dunlop NZ9 5w and that is spot on but in that range they put in grafalloy shafts. I have a Dunlop driving iron (about 4 years old) and the dunlop generic graphite shaft in that is way too floppy for me.

The newer, mid range stuff  is actually pretty decent from Dunlop (XTP range) and Slazenger but it costs more than the "Tour" range (irons at £7.99 each i think comapred to £19.99 )  Still, you could put together a full set of clubs from the XPT range for less than a set of 2 year old Callaways so in hindsight, for UK beginers, this may not be a bad route to take.

[RyankAllen]

On 1/9/2018 at 12:38 AM, Drew2185 said:

What brand should I buy? I am a beginner and I been playing for about 5 months with some hand me down clubs.

And I do t know anything about clubs. Thanks for the help.

Stick with the big brands, buy second hand. Find something that catches your eye and then read reviews from golfdigest, lasergolfrangefinder, or todaysgolfer to see if they are user friendly. If you buy clubs that don't work then learn what does not work for you, put them on ebay or amazon and get different ones. Enjoy.

[SPJr]

Take it from somebody who is entering his third year as a golfer: A boxed set is, in my opinion, the best option for a beginner. 

I have many reasons that I feel this way. Most of it was covered in the thread linked below just a couple of weeks ago.

Whatever you decide, best of luck!

Edited March 21, 2019 by SPJr

[tinker]

I’d stay away from used and e bay. A lot of the stuff has been jimmied up by owner . You can get a nice tour edge combo hybrid iron set at Rock Bottom Golf for around 300. Find a 79 dollar driver and your good to go. Don’t worry about brand names. They don’t work any better.