Pensfan79

I recommend going on the cheap and buying used for your first set of stuff. The more you play the more you will figure out what you want to spend money on and what you dont. I think 3Balls golf is a good place to buy used equipment at a decent price. Having said that, I would invest in a decent stand bag if you walk. In terms of club selection, I would recommend picking up one or two hybrids instead of a 3 or 4 irons. They are easier to hit than your long irons. As for the putter, get one that looks good and feels right. Don't over analyze for your first set of clubs. That way when you become fully addicted you can blame your equipment to justify going to the golf store more often.

While a fitting is a good idea, if you are close to standard sizes (I believe thats usually 5' 10" +/- 2") I would recommend going on Ebay (3 Balls golf) and buying all of your clubs used. As a lefty you can find some great deals on used equipment. As a beginner try to save money on your first set, then if you start to like the game more, you'll know what you want later and feel less guilty about upgrading quickly. The only thing I would recommend not going on the cheap with is shoes, but thats just my 2 cents.

Overall, I enjoy the issue a lot because it is fun to see what new stuff is out there. It is a good starting point when buying new equipment and it feeds my equipment buying addiction in the winter months. That being said, I assume Golf Digest makes its money by advertising and not by subscriptions. This of course presents a conflict of interest and hence why we have so many Gold/Silver rated items from all the big name manufacturers. Additionally criticism seems to be limited to "the shaft looked too busy" and "its expensive". Golf Magazine use to put out a good equipment issue some 3-4 years ago when they gave statistics on the equipment and (slightly)more criticism. However I think advertisers also got to them as well as they now spread out their reviews for several issues and offer more fluff than feedback.

Curious if this happened to anyone else, I received my golfgalaxy $10 shopping spree coupon and 300 point coupon on Dec 23, only problem is that the coupons expired Dec 24th. Makes me question the sincerity of the advertisement

Just to echo what other people have said. I can't see Nike and SC being a match. Nike, with the exception of Air Jordans shoes, likes to be Nike. I'm not sure SC presented by Nike really fits with what they are doing. That is, I don't know how a subsidiary like SC is going to strengthen the Nike brand. I know they tried something similar in hockey with Nike Bauer and ended that experiment. Out of curiosity does anyone know what the biggest profit maker is for golf manufacturers? Balls? As for SC, I see them in the market as the designer label, sort of your Louis Vuitton of putters. You wouldn't see that sold at Target, it would hurt the brand, and I think Nike would hurt the SC image in many golfers' minds. Rightly or wrongly, SCs are viewed by some as a status thing.

This deal is back! Despite having settled into a putter this season, the free shipping combined with Ian Poulter's recent success pulled me in. I can't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to put like Poulter now. I think I may have an equipment buying problem... and I don't think this forum helps my addiction. Oh well, now I just have to wait for the weather to cooperate.

I have had my Dryjoys for 2 years now, almost always tee off in the early morning and have never had a problem. Plus they are very comfortable, if you look around for a style that is being closed out/discontinued, you can get a decent price on them.

Played with one of these at the store the other day. While I think it looks awesome on tv, I thought the shape was a bit clunky in real life. I was a bit disappointed but I think the blade version is out soon, the white is neat imho. I also thought the Odyssey backstryke putter was even worse. Really I odd, my simple mind couldn't deal with it.

I thought the AD333 was pretty decent, soft feel, not much spin though. Right now golf galaxy has Srixon soft feels on sale 2dz for $30. Never tried them but seems like a good price.

I love those Open Championship courses, Turnberry, St. Andrews and Carnoustie all seem like they would be incredible to play. I guess my best argument would be that the great American courses have layouts that can be imitated by other public courses, while those across the pond seem so unique.

Birdsfoot is east and a nice course. In the South Hills, there is Lindenwood which runs you about $50 a round (also about 50m away from Shadyside). Quicksilver is one of the nicer public courses in the area but is a bit more costly and is quite long. If your looking for cheap thrills, there is Rolling Green in 84, PA it is about $35 and a fairly easy course. IMHO living in Shadyside presents you with a problem in that most of the courses that are close to the city are a bit more costly or involve playing 4+ hour rounds. If your willing to drive over an hour, there is the Links at Firestone farms in Ohio. If anyone else knows some $50 and under courses in and around SW PA, I'd be interested to hear as well

I agree with the addictive part, and putters are the easiest club to tinker with when you go to the golf shop and the greens tend to be easy to read there... leads to bad decision making.

It has to be the club, and you need to buy a new one(s). The more expensive the better, otherwise it wouldn't cost so much. On a serious note, the technology in clubs is constantly evolving. If you are new to the game, and playing clubs over 5 or 6 years old, it would benefit you to get a new set. The technology in the sets will help you get the ball up and have more fun golfing. Obviously lessons and practice have a far greater effect on performance, but for many of us with stuff to do during the week switching clubs should help a little. If money is not the issue, why wouldn't you want a set better suited for your game.

I think Callaway got in trouble a year or so ago for accidently making batches of golf balls that were a tenth or so over the limit. I think they said that having a slightly heavier ball would allow you to hit it farther in theory but not so much in reality.

This has to be the 5th or 6th thread I have seen James post in, stating his lack of concern when it comes to golf ball selection. Aside from my questions regarding the veracity and statistical significance of this event, I think the answer is already known. Like all other pieces of golf equipment its a matter of what best fits personnel preferences. Golf ball selection is no different. If the type of ball you play meant so little, then the market would not be able to support the large selection of golf balls we all currently enjoy. Perhaps if you stuck with one ball, your game would improve in areas such as distance control and then you would see the benefits. But if you have made up your mind that you don't care, no amount of posting will change your equipment views.

I've seen this mentioned in a magazine or an online article somewhere without much explanation. I was wondering if you guys might explain your opinions a bit more. I'm curious as to what you see people doing incorrectly. I tend to like have a 60* in my set, but I also use a 54 rather than a 56 so the yardage gaps work out well for me.

Chalk another one up for the Baffler DWS. I have this and I also have a Nickent 4 hybrid that comes in and out of my bag. I find the Baffler to have a better distance (yes, I know its a 3) and be a more forgiving club. To be honest though when I first bought a hybrid, the sales guy at the store said you can't go wrong with any hybrid you pick, and I think he is right. I think you have to find which one that has the look and weight you feel most comfortable with in your hands.

I like the Titleist NXT Tour ball. It seems to have the right amount of spin for me and I like the feel of it. I am not as big a fan of the Srixon Trispeed (I find its feel a bit clunky) but at $30 for 2 dozen, its a really good ball/deal. That of course is last years model and I am not sure if the large stores still have them in stock at that price but thought I 'd point it out. I know this thread will soon be flooded with sage-like advice recommending you buy a cheap ball and just of "hit it right and it will stop". But I think if you are only losing two balls or so a round, $30 for a dozen isn't too bad especially when compared to what you probably pay to get on the course to begin with. but thats just my 2 cents.

Some of this depends on the type of stroke you use. If you try to go straight back and straight through, a face balanced putter (such as the Taylormade Spider, Oddyssey-2 ball & rossie) will help prevent twisting in your stroke. If it is an arc putting stroke, a heel/toe balanced putter should help with less twisting.

I just wanted to echo the 3balls.com suggestions. They have a prominent ebay store site with lots of auctions. I have bought from them a couple times and have always gotten a club that was as described or better.

I was wondering the same thing. $1.50 v. $3 a ball doesn't seem like that much of a difference to me when you compare it to the $50 you pay for a round. I am curious to see what the ratio is of greens fee to price per ball is for people complaing about the price of $30 balls. If you are mid-high handicap you probably shouldn't be losing 6 or 7 balls a round. I recommend the NXT Tour, I think it is a good ball and provides enough spin so that when I do hit the greens it sticks, but at the same time my lesser drives tend to be more of fade than a slice. My reasoning for paying a bit more for a better ball is that at my skill level when I do hit the greens I want it to stay. Also, I cannot discourage you enough about using the NXT extreme. My breaking point with that ball came when I hit a ball on to the green from 100 yards only to watch it go fly of the green like it hit the cart path.

A New Titleist golf hat! Have to be able match the shirt. Dress well, play well.

In my quest to end my newbie status I saw this post and so I will reply. I'm from Pittsburgh and I am glad that after being covered in snow for what seemed like an eternity, I will finally be hitting the greens (hopefully) this weekend. My goal is to consistently shoot in the low 90s this year and hopefully break 85.

I thought about adding a 5h after my first season, but didn't. During my second year of being into golf (playing 3 or 4 time a month) I started to hit my 5 iron much better. If you plan on playing more this year I would suggest maybe passing on it, and it'll save you a few bucks.