PirateJim

I'm a few years behind you, but I'm a real believer in taking advantage of the benefits of the game improvement clubs. I went for Titleist AP1s not long ago and love them. But regardless of the brand, I think the absolute most important thing is getting a good fitting and selection of the right shafts for your swing. IMHO "fittings" that simply involve deciding whether you want the standard steel or graphite shaft and checking lie aren't much better than buying whatever off Ebay and hitting the course. You may already know the answer, but if not ask around for the best fitter in your area and then figure out what brand(s) of club they can fit you for.

Others have already said it, but the short game is hugely important. Every bit as important as pitching, for me, is lag putting. You're getting better, you will start hitting more greens in regulation, but you may find that this results in a lot more really long putts than you might have had when you had to make more pitch shots to finally get on the green. I seldom see people really practicing lags. As also said already, try to avoid hero shots to make up for having just made a poor shot. One of the best bits of advice I have ever read probably came from someone on this site, so my apologies to the originator if I paraphrase: when you find yourself making a shot from trouble, make sure your NEXT shot will NOT be from trouble! Beyond that, you know your game, work on any other specific issues you may need to. There is always something, that's golf.

I tend to being left handed, but play golf right handed. I say "tend to being left handed" because there are quite a few things I do right handed out of convenience, or simply because that's how I learned; for example I use scissors right handed because you have to go pretty far out of your way to find left handed ones. My father was an avid golfer and I'm sure I had one of his old cut down right-handed clubs in my hands not long after I started walking. I rather doubt that lefties that play right handed are very rare since many left handers learn early to get along in a right handed world. I suspect that righties that play lefty like Phil are far more uncommon, though I have nothing to back that up.

With all due respect, if your average score is around 90, in my non-professional and humble opinion, your game really isn't at the point where it has "outgrown" game improvement type clubs. If you like Callaway, perhaps you should look at the Apex irons for an upgrade that still is pretty forgiving. I like my Titleist AP1s a lot. Why make it harder on yourself than it needs to be?

I don't think "bigger head = longer distance" but as was said above, it may mean more forgiving. However, newer club designs are often able to hit the ball (particularly modern balls that the new clubs are designed to use) farther than older fairway clubs. I would bet that if you found a 5 that matched your newer 7 you would find it to have the same size or maybe larger head.

The Hot List lists are apparently a popular feature in the magazine. Magazine publishers tend to go for stuff that their readers like and that might entice someone to pick one up off the grocery store magazine rack. They are also in the business of selling advertising space, so you can be pretty well assured they are not going to really scald one of their ad clients by running a negative report in the hot list. When you take those facts into account, it is no surprise that the lists seem to be pretty lame in their overall information value. Still, one might see a product they hadn't considered before. My vote is still for Golf Pride New Decade grips, but being happy with them I really haven't tried many others.

The lie angle can be adjusted (at least a couple of degrees) on clubs you get off the internet. However, there is a lot more to a good fitting than adjusting the lie angle. First, and foremost, is selection of the best shaft for your swing (it is amazing how much difference in ball flight you will see with various shaft models), then the length and lie are determined. It is also worth mentioning that most fitters will charge you for a fitting and then probably again for adjustments to the clubs if you bring them sticks you've bought off the internet. You may find that pretty much offsets any savings. The big thing you lose though is the shaft selection.

The fact that you got the Adams set as a prize rather than selecting them and being fitted makes me question how "right" they may be for you. However, I also doubt that hitting them some would change what you can sell them for at this point unless there is some sort of deal with the store that provided them for a prize to take the unused clubs back, either for cash (doubtful) or credit for something else (more likely). But if there is no such deal, you're basically selling "used" clubs anyway.

If you aren't spending next month's rent money, get a Scotty if you like the feel! People don't flinch buying $300 plus drivers... But, like a driver, you might want to seek out a skilled Titleist fitter for assistance in selection and fit. Then, if the Scotty is making you feel good, get out and spend some time every week (or more often) on the practice green to make sure you are getting the full value of the club. For what it is worth, I love mine. If you take the plunge let us know what you select.

I too agree with Mr. Desmond. When you have had some lessons and have your swing somewhat set you will be in a better position to select clubs. You can't go far wrong with the Ping G series irons. The color coding on Pings is nice, but really only indicates lie angle. If you find a set used with the right flex shaft (steel or graphite as you prefer), you can get the lie adjusted at least a couple of degrees pretty easily. You can probably find G20s pretty reasonable by now as they have been out of production a year or so.

I voted No because I straight up tell my wife where I'm going and what I'm doing, and I really don't think golf is having anything but positive impacts on my life as a whole. I agree. The video seemed like a real stretch to me, and the fact that they managed to find one guy that figures he had let golf ruin his life certainly proves no significant point from my perspective. The black dude they started out with really only sounded like a guy that had found a game he loves and is trying to play when he can. And I couldn't decide whether to laugh or be offended by the interview piece with his wife talking about realizing how deeply hooked he was when he got clubs fitted. I'm surprised they didn't mention that addicts read golf forums on the internet instead of looking at porn. Sheesh...

In what way do you feel your normal pace is hurting your game?

So, yes, just taking a saw to the shaft will change the dynamics of the club. A club repair shop should be able to do the job for you without changing the flex unduly and make necessary adjustments to the swing weight. There are a number of posts on this site on the topic if you use search and more can no doubt be found with a Bing search.

Assuming the shaft flex on the Clevelands is correct for you I guess you can't go far wrong. Given how much you've improved, and assuming you are pretty committed to staying at golf, you could probably benefit from a good professional fitting into a set of the game improvement clubs aimed more at the better intermediate player. Titleist AP1, Ping G25, Callaway Apex, Mizuno EZ Forged come to mind, but most major club makers have offerings in this segment. That, of course, required a bit more investment, but it is probably time to start thinking along those lines and saving up.

Welcome. I think you're doing the right thing with the lessons and the Speedlines looks like nice clubs to get started with. However, while I admire the opinions of many of the folks on this board and believe you would indeed get a lot of good and certainly well meaning advice from forum members, while you're getting started and taking lessons from your local pro it might be best not to muddy the water with too many outside suggestions by posting videos of your swing. Golf is hard enough without introducing questions and doubts about what you're being told by your pro. Also, lessons to develop a solid golf swing tend to be cumulative often building one upon the next. A perfectly good suggestion that is out of the sequence your pro is working in could hurt more than it helps. Once you are playing pretty good and not actively taking lessons is time enough to post your swing video and find out about all the things you could be doing better.

My response was based in no small part on the (perhaps incorrect) assumption that you were getting clubs off Ebay because of financial constraints that would keep you from buying new with a proper fitting. I think you'd be better off getting the input of a pro fitter than selling off those and going back to Ebay to experiment with another semi-random shaft, but if selling those clubs and getting a proper fitting for new sticks is an option it may be the best. If you want something light, and the expense isn't a big stumbling block, don't discount the possibility of graphite shafts. They aren't just for old men's clubs any more, after all, how many steel shafted drivers do you see? Even some of the pros are going graphite: http://www.brandtsnedeker.com/whats-in-the-bag/ (you'll have to play the short video for the info)

There's probably people that have never shanked a ball in their life likely never will. If you have done it in the past, I'd say it is certainly within the realm of possibility you could see another. I can hit a lovely shank if I don't shift my weight right. At least I think what the cause is, focusing on the weight shift seems to help me make it stop... Even pros have one surface from time to time.

No. Unless your buddy, who I'm sure is very well meaning, just randomly happens to understand how to teach golf as well as how to play golf this isn't a good idea except as a last resort because you live in a rural part of Montana and the only golf pro within a hundred miles is a proven idiot. While a good pro may indeed give you a bit of a motivational pep talk along with your lesson, teaching golf and motivational speaking aren't the same thing. I'd suggest sticking to the pro for swing technique training. However, your friend can still be of immense help to you if you can get him to coach you on the various strategic aspects of playing the game. In other words, how to make good decisions about what kind of shot to hit, when to "go for it" and when the smart move is to lay up and hope for a good pitch to the green. If he's a good golfer he has developed some skill with this part of the game and that is what he can best help you with. (IMHO of course.)

I'll just chime in and echo the others saying to keep investing in lessons. Yes, investing. Taking lessons regularly can really help someone new to golf develop a decent swing. Then taking a lesson periodically after that will help keep you from falling into bad habits. The golf swing isn't natural for most people and professional instruction can really make your progress much faster and the game more fun.

@dbbb As a 2 handicap that aspires to improve, I think you owe it to yourself to have a professional with a proper launch monitor assist you in selecting the best shaft for your game. AP2s are good clubs. Why not find a good Titleist fitter that does club repairs as well as fitting for new clubs and get his help in making that selection and installing the shafts?

Five or six times a year, usually around some holiday, the course I live near puts on a nine hole scramble on Saturday afternoon and a pot luck dinner afterward. Those are generally a hoot! They shut down the front nine ahead of time and there are usually enough people to start a couple of groups per hole for the scramble. It is a social and beer drinking opportunity and a lot of fun. I have never been involved in a single group scramble, but it seems to me that it wouldn't be much slower than normal pace of play, and certainly faster than the idiots I was behind yesterday... but that's a different story. Bottom line, if you don't like the idea of a scramble, don't participate. But under the right circumstances they definitely can be fun for some of us.

There's two questions there. For a lie adjustment, I would think (but really don't know for sure) that it would be less than $100. For shafts, the recommended flex is based on swing speed, but it is important to note that there is overlap, so at some swing speeds you could use either Senior or Regular flex, then at higher speeds there is a range where you could use either Regular or Stiff, etc. But if your AP1s have R-flex shafts and you have a decidedly Stiff flex swing speed (or slower so you should really be using Senior flex) I would be hesitant to jump into replacing the shafts. At that point, unless you seek out used shafts and find someone to install them for you, you are probably looking at a pretty big investment in old clubs. You might be better off finding a different set of irons (used perhaps) and then selling/trading the AP1s, or donate them to another beginner.

What MS256 said largely. But both physical athletic ability and mental aptitude have to play a part. I think most of the pros and plus handicap type armatures have the golfing athletic ability and the mental aptitude when they start. I say "golfing athletic ability" because I find it interesting when I see various stars of other sports playing golf. Some are very good, some... meh, not so much. All have proven athletic ability, but it may not be the type that lends itself to golf or they just may not be able to get the mental/strategic parts of the game going. So to the original question, there are probably some people that were hackers for some years then "got it" and began playing really well, but I bet they are few and far between. Most that have what it takes (whatever the heck that is, I don't seem to have it) to be plus handicappers' discover that within a short time of taking up the game and get better fairly rapidly. All of that said, I expect that there are quite a lot of people who play rather poorly for some time then "get it" and become pretty good golfers, meaning somewhere in the mid to upper single digits handicap wise. That is attainable by practicing and playing smart.

I think it is probably a good move for Holly. I have no idea what they were paying her at Golf Channel, but I doubt it was that much, she was one of several faces on Morning Drive which has a pretty small niche audience in the overall scheme of things. Playing Lessons were mostly Holly Watching opportunities and fluffy filler for when there wasn't a tournament somewhere to broadcast. I expect she's as competent to play the part of "microphone whisperer" as a lot of the other commentators you see covering various tournaments. At least she's got some personality and is worth seeing which is more than you can say for some of the retired tour pros that have turned up in the booth (cough... Johny Miller).

The AP1s aren't "blades" and have always, I believe, been Titleist's game improvement class clubs. They do advertise that their newer clubs are even more forgiving, but those shouldn't be too bad. If you are interested in new and perhaps even more forgiving clubs you will have a number of good options, but your old AP1s are good quality sticks. A bigger question might be whether they have the right shafts for your swing, i.e. Regular Flex, Stiff, etc. Assuming the correct shaft flex, you might also have the lie angle checked, it is easy to check and easy (thus fairly inexpensive) to adjust if you have the right tool, which a club repair shop will.