Polemix

I almost only buy component clubs, but with premium shafts and grips so that the shafts and grips are as good or better than the equivalent "branded" clubs that I could get off the shelf. For instance, if you take a US$699 set of irons 4i to PW (7 clubs) by {insert brand name}, that includes US$25x7=US$175 True Temper shafts, US$6x7=US$42 Winn grips. Total> US$217. If you want a like-for-like comparison with the component clubs, consider the branded heads are implicitly priced at US$699-217=US$482, i.e. US$69 per head. That`s not even considering the higher priced US$1,200 models from this year, I am talking about your midrange last year`s model... If you take the top of the range clubs, you`re getting the same shaft and grips, usually, and your heads are costing a whopping US$140/head! By comparison, you can get very good club heads from Hireko, Gigagolf or Maltby for roughly US$15 to US$30 per head. There is no way that the branded heads are worth 2 or 3x (let alone 10x!) as much as these, having tried both. What you are paying for is the marketing, branding, the "new product" premium. The "tech" is progressing in minimal increments from year to year, and very few technological breakthroughs are actually patented/patentable, which means the component heads are actually very similar in performance and design to the branded clubs (without breaching any intellectual property laws). If you want to upgrade your shaft, most component companies will do that for... the incremental cost of the shaft. If you ask a major OEM to do the same, they will charge you... 2 or 3 times the cost of the shaft you are asking for (e.g. a Graffaloy Prolaunch Supercharged upgrade for a Ping driver at Golfsmith is going to cost US$114 as of today, whereas the shaft is being sold for US$59 on most component websites - and that's not to criticize Graffaloy, any shaft would have produced similar results). As far as quality of build and fitting is concerned, my personal view is that the quality service you get from the top component manufacturers is much better than any brand offers to off the shelf buyers. In particular loft gapping, weight, loft and lie tolerances are much more carefully checked by component companies than by the major OEMs. On the other hand, the OEMs do have tighter quality controls when it comes to paint, logo, finishing etc, which means the appearance of the clubs, and particularly the club heads, will be more reliable and consistent... which has no bearing on the performance of the club.

I am a mid handicapper, but fairly athletic build and I can drive the ball 270 yards. On occasion I enjoy playing from the tips, it challenges me. But I compensate by playing ready golf, being cautious about taking no more than 2 practice swings, walking quickly between shots and not looking for a ball for more than 30-45 seconds. I have never had any complaints about my pace of play. That being said, if I am playing on a week end and the course is crowded, I will stick to the members tees. The key is that players are conscious of the pace of play and let you play through when they are slowing you down. It is just part of being respectful of your fellow golfers. If that is the case, let people enjoy themselves and do as they please, I say! People who routinely take 6 practice swings, walk slowly between shots, look for their balls for 5 minutes and measure each putt 3 times, only to go on to hit 110... those should be banned altogether! No matter what tees they play from!

The more I work with my custom made chipper (see description in earlier post), the more versatile it gets. I've now added controlled low fades, slices, draws and hooks on 130 yards. It´s perfect for playing low shots under and around trees! By now it's probably the 2nd or 3rd most used club in my bag!

I've experimented recently leaving driver, woods and hybrids out of the bag. The 3 rounds I've played like that over the last 3 months have yielded my best scores on the 2 local courses I`ve played, by 4-5 shots. I think I find it harder to adjust back and forth from shorter steel shafts to longer graphite shafts, and the changes needed in the swing plane are just throwing me off when I use the woods/driver. I´m planning to confirm this over the next month before binning the woods and hybrids for good. My take on this is that by working on a consistent draw with my irons, I have developed a tendency to hit woods and hybrids too far left with hook due to their draw bias. I have a fast swing (110mph) and quick transition, which seems to fit with the player profile for Driving Irons. So, assuming I keep leaving my driver, fairway and hybrid at home, I have a few spare slots to fill. I´ve already added a 27* chipper/wedge (forged 5 iron I´ve had custom bent and cut and weighted to wedge specs) which is really easy to work for low hooks/slices inside 130 yards and I find a useful tool to get out of trouble under trees. I can add a 60* wedge which is more workable than my wide sole SW, bringing my wedge count to 6! (PW-46*, GW-50* matched to irons, 54/8*, 58/16*, 60/4*, 27*), 4I-9I. That still leaves me with a spare slot, for a Driving Iron maybe. If I do end up going for a Driving Iron, do you know how the Dynacraft DI or Maltby Tour HDI clubs compare to the big name brands?

I'm 38, so I hardly qualify for senior tournaments... I will gladly wait for the 2040s for that pleasure. A few weeks back I was playing with a 19 year old college jock who played off a 15 index hitting the ball 300 yards. He made me feel old. Meanwhile, the twosome ahead of us was a father/son pairing, I'm guessing 55 and 75 years old or so. I'm pretty sure the 55 year old felt younger than I did at that point. I remember a great-great-uncle of mine who was in his early 80s and was still competing and winning in national tennis tournaments of his category, even though he would only play doubles since his mid 60s. He was extremely proud of that, but found it frustrating that each year he had to find himself new playing partners his partner of the previous year had, in the best case, not been fit enough to repeat. It was his way of staying young, and it served him to live healthily and happy until he was 101, playing golf well into his 90s. It sounds like you're having fun on the golf course, and if you ever do shoot your age, be proud! Whatever you do, be happy, old man, it's guys like you who are still healthy and happy and playing golf in your golden years who make us want to reach that point. I'm working hard to have a good golf swing and avoid injuries so I will be able to continue to play as long as possible. Thank you for that!

My goal for 2016 is to enjoy the game even more, if possible. I plan to do this by playing golf for fun and not laboring towards a hypothetical single digit handicap (spent 2015 laboring towards 15). I have started shaping shots, hitting deliberate fades and draws, but I can't yet control that. About 1 in 5 of my iron shots comes off beautifully with one of those baby-draws my teacher wants to see. I want to get some beautiful shot shapes in. I want my golf swing to be the most beautiful piece of artistry I can achieve. I want my putting technique to be steady and assured. When I'm on the golf course, I want to attack every shot like I have the skill to pull it off, and not play any conservative golf. Sure, I'll probably hit 105 shots most week-ends, but at least 20 of those will have given me pleasure. And I will play the next shot like it was my first ever.

LBlack your Cobra clones look fantastic. Good job! I hope they play just as well. Never mind the naysayers.

Totally agree. I would take your selection over any off the shelf supermarket brand at the same price any day, and even the cheapest OEM full set bags for 500-600$ would not match up. My point was on a bang for your buck basis obviously not everybody wants to shell out $200 on premium shafts and grips. The TRX range looks more like TM to me? The Pursuit range is sort of retro-style no idea what they are copying do you know? I'm not sure which of the current GG clubs you think are Ping clones?

Out of curiosity does anyone know whether the Pursuit range by Gigagolf is an original design or a clone line? and if clones, do you know which brand they are imitating? Since writing the above comment I have bought a full set of clubs from Gigagolf and sold the Diamond Tour clones. I had all the irons checked for loft, lie and length by a local fitter and he said they were spot on for me. Thumbs up to Gigagolf on that one, the fitter said no entry-level OEM set even comes close to that with 2* errors either way not being uncommon. I am now playing: Driver> Pursuit Tc420 - classic looking club, performs well with Graffaloy Prolaunch Red stiff shaft and Lamkin crossline oversize grip. I've had it built to 45 inches and am getting a few less yards than with previous drivers, but much straighter, possibly due to the shorter and stiffer shaft. Off the tee it yields 250 to 270 yds with my swing, I know the extra 10 yds will cost me dispersion. The sound off the face is very loud, it depends if you like that, I guess that's due to the Carpenter steel face insert. I don't mind, I like the clear feedback it gives me. I have tried a couple of OEM drivers and might well buy one in 2016, if I can find a classic design smaller head, I'm not a fan of the bulky flashy trend and can't fork out $500 for the latest Titleist, by all means would like to stay under $200, until now I haven't found the one. I've had 4 drivers from component houses and this has clearly been the best. 3W> Pursuit ps550 - +0.5" long with the same shaft as the driver, does very well off the tee, even more accurate than the driver, a bit shorter 235 to 250 yds. Mishits are very decent. I'm not very comfortable hitting it from the deck unless the lie is perfect, but that's probably the Indian. For me this club is as good or better than any club from OEMs I have tried, performs incredibly. The only reason why I would look to replace it is to have more differentiation in shot capabilities vs the Driver. 4H> Pursuit ps550 - +0.5" long with a TT Dynamic Golf S300 shaft. Fantastic club, I am amazed that I can hit perfectly straight or slight draws almost 90% of the time with this club, with distances around 210-220 y. My favorite, and not in the list of possible replacement. Anyway I can't see any of the OEMs rushing to offer steel shafted hybrids, and for my part I am more likely to get a steel shafted wood than a graphite shafted hybrid. 3I-9I> TRX v11 - +1" long and +1* upright lie with TT DG S300. These are typical cavity back cast steel Super Game Improvement clubs. 3I and 4I stay at home usually. Very pleasant clubs to hit, huge sweet spot just like the RBZ, but no shot shaping capabilities. Contact can be a bit clunky. For gapping I regret not getting the PW and GW to match, and the full set of clubs would have been easier to re-sell. Generally I feel these clubs have done their "game improvement job" while I was taking my Index down from 23 to 16 over 1 year. As I try to get my index closer to single digits I think I will need to relace these clubs, reluctantly. I am very keen on the Maltby DBMs and am looking for an opportunity to try them out, I look forward to checking out reviews on the forum. 8I-PW> Pursuit c510 - +1" long and +1* upright lie with TT DG S300. I have no problem playing these clubs, and depending on the mood I leave either the TRX 9I or the Pursuit 8I out of the bag, I hit either around 130y, which makes sense because they have similar lofts and lengths. I carry either 2 8I or 2 9I depending on the arrangement, for gapping purposes. The TRX range is much more forgiving, the Pursuits are more of a player's club and give more feedback, and I think I probably control them better. I am quite happy with them, only issue is the paint used inside the cavity is not great. If I get the aforementioned Maltbys I'll probably drop these, although I am quite happy with them. An alternative would be to complete the Pursuit range down to 4I, could be much cheaper. 52 and 60> Pursuit s510 - +1" long and +1* upright lie with TT DG R300. Classic forged blade wedges, perform superbly for my taste. I have reviewed them earlier but after 1 year of usage it is still the love story. I am not comfortable hitting them at full speed yet so I can't seem to get more than 80 and 60 yards respectively out of them. Again, probably the Indian. 56> S2 Black Matte - +1" long and +1* upright lie with TT DG R300. I wanted to have a club with more bounce and swing weight to play from sand traps in particular, I am still not doing very well in that area and might consider another sandwedge. That's the only area where I have really been impressed by an OEM club I have tried, the Cleveland smart sole sand wedge a friend of mine had let me use felt much easier to use and I can't see any quality clone out there. Suggestions welcome, dishing out $129 is not an option. Because the Maltby DBMs have the PW at 46 I might want to switch to a 50, 54 & 58 combo, which is the only reason I would switch clubs. I am not sure what bending these 2* to achieve desired lofts would do to the bounce. Maltby has some interesting wedge offerings I might look at, or suggestions of quality components would be welcome. Thanks!

Driver: Gigagolf Pursuit Tc420 with Graffaloy Prolaunch Red stiff 45 inch shaft - around 260y carry 3W: Gigagolf Pursuit ps550 with Graffaloy Prolaunch Red stiff 43 inch shaft - 230y 4H: Gigagolf Pursuit ps550 with TT Dynamic Gold s300 41 inch shaft - 210y 5i-8i: Gigagolf TRX v11 with TT Dynamic Gold s300 +1 inch shaft 1 degree upright - 145 to 190y 8i-PW: Gigagolf Pursuit forged c510 TT Dynamic Gold s300 +0.5 inch shaft 1 degree upright - 110 to 135y also 9i for 20-40y chips 52, 60: Gigagolf Pursuit forged s510 TT Dynamic Gold s300 +0.5 inch shaft 1 degree upright - 40, 90y 56: Gigagolf S2 Black Matte TT Dynamic Golf s300 +0.5 inch shaft 1 degree upright - 70y Chipper: c510 5 iron bent and cut to wedge specs - Greenside chips and low running shots up to 110y All the above with Lamkin Crossline Oversized grips. Putter: Ping Zing 2 putter with Superstroke Fatso 5.0 Grip (new addition) Ogio cart bag and orange whip swing trainer, and a pair of alignment aids. Might not be flashy but it got my hcp down from 28 to 22 this year, that´s something. Love the Pursuit hybrid and forged irons and wedges, high quality stuff, worth every penny, literally.

OK so replying to myself may seem a little self centered, sorry. I thought I´d let you know I've found a way. I bought a 5 iron from Gigagolf and had it built to the length and lie of a wedge. Club: Gigagolf Pursuit C510 5 iron with a True Temper shaft and a Lamkin Xline grip. Specs: 36.5 inch shaft (i.e. male standard + 1 inch), 65 degree lie (male standard + 4 degrees upright) the specs are similar to what I would have for a PW (36.5 / 65.5) but with a 28 degree loft vs 48 degrees I don´t really need alignment aids I am fine using a classic shape. Works a charm for me, and offers all the versatility I was looking for. I play it on short chips around the Green, or bump and roll from 80-100 yards in, but also low shots under trees or even into the wind if I want a low shot off the tee up to 120-130 yards on a short par 3.

I used to play as a kid before the age of Titanium. Drivers were for pros and low handicappers, I wouldn't have dreamt of playing one. I picked up golf again after 20 years off, a couple of years ago and bought new clubs. The Driver is still the club I can't work out, I play my best rounds when I don't play it, even on a longer course. Even though my 3w only carries 230-240 yards vs 260 with most of the drivers I've tried, it doesn't seem to be worthwhile in terms of scoring. And I can't even blame the bloody sticks, I've bought and dumped 6 different ones and had 2 fitting sessions. My guess is that the very long shaft and the high club face (hence high tee and ball position way forward vs usual) force you to tilt your swing plane quite radically, and it's very tricky to constantly jump from a more upright swing plane to a flatter one, so you end up losing a lot in consistency both on the drive and with your 2nd shots. For beginners I think it's absolute nonsense to play with a driver, it's all for the show and it's a marketing battle the brands are winning against the consumers.

I have bought clubs from Diamond Tour Golf and from Gigagolf in the recent past. I have the DTG Z-force Z30 in standard DTG Steel stiff shafts with Lamkin Crossline grips, fit to measure (+1 inch and +1 degree upright). I have a driver, 2 hybrids, 5i-PW, SW in that series. I don´t like the clubs, they are a bit cheap looking although they are reasonably well built and play just fine. I am selling these clubs after 6 months usage and will be lucky to get 100$ for them. I have mostly used them as a spare set of clubs I left at the next door indoor golf. I have also got a GG TRX Trac II Driver, a Pursuit Driver, 3W, 4H, TRX v11 3i-GW set of irons, Pursuit forged CB 8i-PW, Forged 52 and 60 wedges and a S2 Black Matte 56. I also used a GG Center Cut putter. Positives: The Pursuit Driver, 3W and 4H I would match up against any OEM clubs on any day of the week. I get 10 yards more and straighter shots out of any of these fabulous and beautifully crafted clubs. The TRX irons are very nice UGI irons at a silly low price, they definitely match up against any club in that category on a $/quality basis, sure they`re not as good as the Mizuno JPX or the Ping G30 range. The Pursuit Cavity back forged irons are incredibly priced at around 45$ a club and very decent forged irons, not far off clubs priced in the 1000$ range or 125$ for a single club if you can find it. I fear I would struggle to play the longer irons but the feel off the short irons I have is amazing and I am definitely thinking of getting the 5i-7i. I am getting excellent results and comments with all 3 of my GG wedges, I used to play an old set of rusty Vokeys and have not looked back. The SP9 Center Cut putter is also a pretty decent putter for the price, certainly the Oddissey putters at 180$ a pop aren´t 4.5 times better! The forging job is top notch no doubt about that, the shafts are whatever you choose and pay for (and not whatever is stock on offer). At the moment they still offer the Graffaloy Prolaunch red shaft as a baseline which gives you some comfort as to the quality of the materials these guys look for. Negatives: I love most of these clubs, as you can tell from the review. Negatives are few. If you want to be picky, yes the paint job has some finishing smudges which Callaway might not have, looking very closely at the Woods and hybrids, and the cavity of the irons is painted over in a metallic paint that is a bit cheap looking at first, but fine once it gets dirty. The putter is a bit stocky by design and not as nice looking as you might like, but it stays in the bag because it´s effective. I went to Golfsmith the other day to try out putter who might feel better against my ugly putter. I tried about 40 putters and tested them against mine with my eyes shut and open, 5 balls each from 5 feet on the carpet. The only club that felt better balanced than mine with eyes closed was a Bettinardi beauty priced at a whopping 395$. I don´t mind telling people who ask what clubs I use that I like these clubs better just because they´re half as expensive and almost as good as theirs, and in fact I won´t even ask them to give me any hcp points for gaming my crappy clubs against their "latest technology". But that takes a certain character, I guess. I love my Gigagolf clubs and the only reason I might change them is to expand within these GG ranges to buy the longer iron Pursuit CBs or hybrids. I am also very tempted by the Acer XS CNC milled forged irons which look awesome and the Maltby forged irons by Golfworks. It´s much easier to switch clubs when a set of irons costs 300$ rather than 1000$ at least when you're on a Budget.

Yey, a friend in pain! I've got a callous there on my right index finger and the same one on my left index finger. From what I gather from the other comments, it seems we are gripping too much with the index and thumb fingers, and we should try to include the middle, ring fingers and even the pinky, with the index fingers doing less of the gripping work. That way we can get callouses where they're supposed to be, and hopefully that will make some sort of difference in our golf!

I have calluses on the outside of the first phallange of my 2 index fingers both left and right, and get occasional blisters, usually on the cushion of the 3rd phallange of my left ring finger (even with a glove). I've no idea what I'm doing wrong. Any ideas anyone?

Unless you've ever tried to start and run a small business, playing in the same field as big companies, I doubt you have much of an idea how much hard work it takes, for my part I feel slightly offended by your contention that "it's not so hard"... Actually, when I look at the pictures you posted, I personally see the difference very clearly, there is no confusion possible. They follow similar design codes, but you can hardly say that GG is misleading people into believing they are buying "real" Taylormades. If any of the similarities you rightly point out were objectionable, Taylormade would have sued and won. They haven't, so you can rest easy they don't have a leg to stand on. Lback is absolutely right, all the OEMs are always copying each other, the most obvious example being the Ping cavity back design which everybody started copying from the 90s. Take the TM Burner / TRX irons you have placed, they are simply modernized versions of the Ping Eye 2 black dot, with very little added tech. Ping Eye II, now that was a real technological breakthrough! I suggest you try playing a set of Ping Eye 2, they are 20+ years old but they still perform right up there with any current GI clubs. What Taylormade did, 20 years later, is add a coat of red paint and call it an original model, and Ping isn't suing them either, because they don't have an enforceable patent right, and because, anyway, they rip off other people's ideas as well... Red paint and a little cross down the back would definitely not be sufficient differentiator to protect the IP. The sliding weights on the SDLR would seem to me like they would be patentable, but I am no expert. I am sure TM has very good lawyers advising them, and from discussing with their fitters, I gather GG and other non-brand clubmakers take IP very seriously. I understand in many cases they run their clone clubs by the OEMs before selling them to make sure they don't get sued, so somehow TM must have been OK with it... It's not our job to protect their patents, they have an army of lawyers at their disposal for that. You have GG confused for some low life maker of counterfeit clubs, perhaps you should do your homework...

I also play with low lofted wedges. I wanted 46 and 50 degrees so I got a 9i and a PW from the c510 cavity backed range and had them built to my usual wedge length and lie (35.5 inches long with 65 degree lie) and then got my local fitter to tweak the loft +2 degrees from 44 and 48. I was afraid the bounce would feel funny but they work absolutely fine that way. If you prefer muscle backs you can use the m510 in the same way. I also carry a 5i (27 degree) c510 which they bent 4 degrees upright in lie and cut to 35.5 inches so I can use it as a chipper, I am completely in love with that club which is way more versatile than a usual chipper, I play it from under trees for low shots and any approach which does not need to stop quickly from 140 yards in! Try using a commercial chipper from 40 yards or more and you will see what I mean!

Clone manufacturers havent invented the wheel, they are simply using known features which are not protected by copyright and making very good clubs using concepts that have fallen in the public domain (slots, hollow cores, cavity back, CNC milled square grooves etc). Is that a reason to chastize them? I don't think so. In the case of Gigagolf in particular (but also Monark, Hireko, Diamond Tour Golf...) they actually make excellent clubs to very high quality standards. For my part, I can't say there is any difference in my score if I play with my Gigagolf set or with other clubs, other than the fact I am used to the Gigagolf ones. In fact, I am all for chastizing the OEM companies who keep overselling the benefits of very minor innovations. If you take a set of Taylormade or Mizuno irons from 20 years back, it is likely they will perform very similar to the current irons, yet somehow they manage to brainwash customers into buying the new model because it has a lower CG or something fashionable. For me, the issue is not the "clone" manufacturers, it's the main OEMs, they are the ones misleading the public, spending heaps of money on marketing in the process to make you believe something which is simply not true. A new set of golf clubs will not increase your yardage by 10% or suddenly take your Hcp down 5 index points, that's the sad truth, and it applies both to OEMs and less known brands. The real improvements in golf clubs over the last decade(s) has been in the shafts. In early 2000s there was a real issue following the relocation of manufacturing to China, so if you bought clone clubs with cheap shafts you could really get, well, shafted. That's now mostly resolved, especially with the top brand shafts. If you fit your clone clubs with quality shafts and grips, you won't be able to tell the difference. The introduction of Titanium drivers about 10 years ago has also made some difference, although for my part I still prefer a steel head driver, which seem to give me better feedback and distance somehow. So you have amateur players crushing their drives 300 yards, whereas 10 years ago they would have stuck around 250-260. I don't think that's really made that much of a difference to their scores, because they're spreading their drives all around the rough and into the trees...

I have had Wilson Staff and Adams Tight Lies GI clubs since I started, and recently bought a set or irons from Gigagolf (Pursuit CBs) and another from Diamond Tour (Z-Force Z-35 Ping G30 clones). Firstly, the head. The Z-Force Z-35 are quite nice, they are as easy to hit and (as far as I can tell having tried the OEM version for 1 round) they play very similar to the brand club they are trying to immitate. I certainly can't tell the difference, neither of them is incredible (sorry if I disagree with GolfWRX on this one, I can't see the Ping G30s going down in history as clubs which changed the face of the game), both are very good GI clubs. The Pursuit CBs are another category of club, they were more expensive and in my view totally worth it, from my perspective they are as good as any top-notch model from a top name, definitely superior in finish to entry-level OEM clubs, as far as I could tell (also not revolutionary, they just claim to be a classic style of cavity backed forged irons, and do just that, to a high standard of performance). So overall, you need to compare entry-level clones with entry-level OEMs, and in that respect the OEM club will win. If you compare top-notch OEM with top-notch clones, likely the OEM club would win too. However, you're paying 3 times as much for the OEM club, so for my part I would be looking for something MUCH better, which I am not getting. If you compare on a $/$ basis, the top-notch clubs from the best component brands are, in my view, much better than the entry-level OEM clubs, for a similar price. I do recommend spending time going into the detail of the materials used in making the clubs so you know what you are getting into, as both OEMs and component manufacturers occasionaly sacrifice quality to protect their margins or go for lower costs... You will be surprised to see how many OEM clubs are made with the cheapest stainless steel alloys, even sometimes worse than component manufacturers. Second, the shaft. Actually this is a much more important feature than the clubhead itself when building a club. In this respect, if you're buying off-the-shelf (or even worse, off-the-Ebay), you typically don't get to choose. If you don't like the (usually mediocre for entry-level clubs) shaft which the OEM brand has picked, then you just have to go out and get a shaft suited for you, thereby paying for a second shaft. Unless you can build the club yourself, it is likely you will have to pay somebody to do it for you, and in the process you'll probably have to buy a ferrule, some fitting equipment, a grip etc. The key difference with the component company is that most good manufacturers give you a wide range of choices of shafts, they will build to your specs and will fit for a very reasonable price. So, instead of tinkering and paying double to have the shaft you wanted in the first place, you get it right from the word go. So in this respect, the component manufacturer offers the same or better equipment for a fraction of the price. Third, the grip. Very similar to what happens with your shaft, if you don't like the grip on your off-the-shelf clubs, you're screwed and will end up paying for another, whereas the component manufacturers let you choose whatever you want in a wide range. In terms of wear and tear, replacing grips is necessary from time-to-time, and you can be sure the grips which your OEM brands pick are not made to last, on the contrary. They want you to come back for more, so they choose soft plastic/gum which is very sticky and soft at first, but soon wears out and needs to be replaced. If you want to keep your costs down (especially if you tend to play in cold and wet weather which will cause greater wear and tear), you might want to go for a chord grip which will last longer, therefore costing less over time. Also in this respect, you get the same or better equipment for a fraction of the price. Fourthly, the assembly process. Unless you're Tiger Woods, Nike clubs you buy off the shelf are rarely going to be fitted for you. If you buy the top of the range clubs, they might fit them for free, but not if you buy the US$500 set advertised on Golfsmith, if you get a bargain deal at Galaxy or if you buy second hand on Ebay (even worse, the latter may have been fitted for a 5" hitter with a flat swing and it so happens you are 6"4 and need upright adjustment). Most component manufacturer offer some degree of customization in the fitting process, including lie and shaft length adjustment at least. In some cases, they can also adjust swing weight, loft, grind, spine alignment of shafts, puring of shafts, frequency matching or other niceties which can add to the quality of the fitting. When you have tested the difference between clubs which are properly fitted with this level of attention vs any OEM off the shelf club, there is no way you can go back to off the shelf. In my experience the quality of the fitting for "cheap" clubs is much, much better at component companies than at the OEMs. In fact, in most cases you are getting almost the same service as Tiger Woods at Nike, which is just awesome. Finally, the customer service. I spend about 2-3 week-ends choosing my new clubs, trying them out, going through variations of fitting options with the fitter. The guy at my local golf warehouse is always trying to lead me towards the most expensive, newest gimmick from the OEM brands, getting me to spend those extra bucks that go straight to his commission. In my experience both with Gigagolf and Diamondtour, those guys are in it for the long run. They want you to come back and buy from them in the future, so they give you real advice, even if that's at the expense of selling you that top-notch driver from their line. They will work with you in the process, not against you. For me, that made the whole process of fitting much more friendly and amenable, and if only for that, I will definitely go back to them. So, for my part, I will continue to pay 1/3rd of the price for a component brand club which fully satisfies me. No doubt the pros on the PGA tour will survive without my money coming to them via a sponsorship deal with one of the OEM brands.

Totally agree about new clubs, I wouldn't buy second hand except maybe for a second hand wedge and then again I would change the grip unless it was new. A big part of that is psychology, I know, but that counts too, and it's not just psychology. Improvements in materials and designs of clubs are not as significant as the companies would have you believe, but more importantly clubs will tend to bend depending on your game, usually the lie shifts upright and the loft increases, so you really lose distance and accuracy by using old clubs. If you do, you can have lies and lofts re-adjusted by a fitter, and if you're serious about your game, you should really do that every year (more often if you play off a artificial mat at a driving range or simulator facility). You can get a decent set of clubs from Gigagolf or DTG for well under $500, it just depends what you're after. I think wanting 14 clubs and a bag for $300 or less is not realistic, you are bound to get crap for that price (e.g. what they sell at Costco), but for a beginner or average player struggling to break the 90s, I dont think paying the extra buck for what the pros have in the bag will make a difference. I think for a full set of game improvement clubs you should probably look to pay $500 for good clone clubs, whereas OEMs would take $1,000 off you. Top-notch clubs would set you back $1,000 with a clone company, $3,000 with an OEM. I was trying to illustrate value for money with a point of reference. How much you're willing to spend is up to you, but if what you want is to improve your game, save the money on the clubs and buy yourself some lessons wth a good pro, that would be my advice!

Commenting further on the US$850 price tag of my new set of clubs, the equivalent OEM clubs are: Driver Ping G30 - 419$ with same grip/shaft specs 3W Ping G30 - 284$ 3h + 4h Ping G30 - 284$ each, $568$ 5i - PW Ping G30 - 709$ SW - Ping G30 - 129$ Putter - CNC Heavy Putter - 99$ (used Bag - 99$ Total - 2,308$. In the DTG bag I had an extra driver for almost US$100 (DTG Felon illegal driver) so the full set was actually US$750, less than a third of the equivalent Ping set.

My problem is consistency more than absolute distance, but I'm working on that... Average-Max D: 250-310 3W: 230-270 3H: 215-250 4H: 200-220 5i:180-210 6i: 170-190 7i: 160-180 8i: 150-160 9i: 120-130 PW: 105-120 SW: 90-105

I play off a 20 Hcp hitting my driver around 270 yards and struggling mostly with consistency issues. I picked up golf again about 18 months ago after 20 years without hitting a ball, and have consistently improved to come back to the level I played as a teenager. I'm now focused on breaking 90, which I've done about 10 times in last 20 games I've played - playing with my old clubs from 20 yrs ago doesn't affect performance much (a bit shorter, probably costs me about 2 shots per round). I am quite tall (6"2) with long arms and large hands, so it was important for me to get custom fitted including oversized grips, longer shafts and +1° upright lie adjustment. I tried the Ping FG-30 clubs, loved them but couldn't afford them custom fitted. I bought and play a set of clones, the Z-Force Z-35 clubs bought recently from Diamond Tour Golf, with Dynamic Golf Shafts and Lamkin grips (3H, 4H, 5I-PW and SW), or UST Proforce v2 shaft and Lamkin grip (Driver). I also have a set of Gigagolf wedges (52 and 60 Pursuit s510 and 52 S2 Black Matte). I've also ordered from Gigagolf a shortened 5 iron club bent 4° upright to make a chipper, which they are currently doing for me. For both Gigagolf and Diamond Tour, the experience was excellent. I felt their customer service was far superior to what Ping had offered and they offer a very wide range of customization options. They were willing to hear what I had to say and to adjust themselves to my thoughts, whereas the Ping guy just wanted to sell me the most expensive clubs on his shelf and rush through the fitting process. That, for me, is key. I am not a great player but I am pretty picky about my equipment and I am looking to the fitter to adjust to my tastes and not try to fit his square peg into my round hole. In the end with the customization options I opted for, I ended up paying about US$850 for a full set, which is probably as much as I would have paid for a full set of brand new OEM clubs off the shelf. For that price, I had the clubs "made to measure" which is a whole different experience to having standard OEM clubs. I also had grips and shafts which were equal or usually superior to what the OEM clubs offered as standard. My gut feeling is these clubs play a lot better than any OEM clubs I have tried, if only because each club is taylored to my needs. Going into the components, obviously the grips and shafts are top notch and better than what comes standard with most clubs. The club heads are the only difference, and these were only a fraction (maybe 10%) of what the OEMs charge you for their club heads if you break it down. Gigagolf Pursuit s310 wedges: I absolutely love these wedges, they are right up there in terms of appearance and playability with the best clubs which the OEMs sell. I wouldn't trade them in for a brand new set of Clevelands or Vokeys. As far as I can tell they are as good or better than Titleist Vokeys (I used to play old Vokey wedges and wanted to replace them with new ones, initially, before turning to Gigagolf). Gigagolf S2 Black Matte: Very good looking club with black matte finish, plays well but I have not adapted to it and prefer using my other sand wedge which has a wider sole and a higher bounce. It's a matter of personal preference, and I would certainly not throw it away. I'll keep it for the sunny season. DTG Z-Force Z-35 Irons: As far as I am concerned, I could not tell the difference between the Pings and Z-Force club heads without looking at the logo, they are really good. Finishing/decoration is maybe a notch below the Ping finishing, but playability is a perfect 10 for me. DTG Z-Force Z-35 Hybrids: Work well but not quite up to par in terms of feel with the Ping hybrids they are meant to mimic, the sound at contact is less of a "ting" and more of a "wack". Otherwise I'm still hitting very nice shots with these clubs with my 3H going up to 250 yards straight down, so can't complain too much. DTG Z-Force Z-35 Driver: Not the same as hitting a Ping G30 driver, for some reason the swing weight feels off to me, too light for my taste - maybe the Ping driver I had tried had been weighted. The sound at impact is also not as pleasant. I used it at a simulator venue where the headroom was not enough and hit it against the steel structure, which made a dent in it. I'm not sure if Titanium is supposed to dent when hitting steel. Anyway, for 1/4 of the price of the comparable club, I can't complain, it's still a very good club and I don't think it affects my performance. DTG Felon Illegal Driver: I bought this driver just for fun, it's 480cc head size is above what the USGA allows. A bit of an expensive toy at almost US$100, the quality of the finishing is not quite up to my expectations but it does what it says on the box. I estimate I hit it about 10-15 yards further than my other driver. I would definitely not have paid US$400 for a toy!

I had a nice round of golf at Bosque Real Country club on Friday. There is a short uphill par 5 on this course which plays more like a par 4 if you can get your drive up in the air. I managed to do just that on the first round, getting my ball up to the 3rd level. Hitting a PW as a second shot on a Par 5 just felt weird, and I ended up needing 4 more shots to get into the hole, but the drive was just beautiful, about 220 yards steep uphill, would have gone 300 easy on a flat hole. I also had a 2nd shot to play from a fairway bunker which I landed about 3 feet from the hole and was quite happy with that too.