Good choices or bad choices for a beginner?

[Grandadddy]

[SUB]Well, I'm not technically a beginner. But when you play 3 times a year, you're no better than a beginner (at least I'm not.) I'm pretty terrible, but I'd like to improve enough to play a bit socially and for business.

I'm looking at a used set of clubs that seems to represent a good bargain, but I don't want to buy the wrong thing simply because it's cheap.


Here's what's included:

Callaway X-20 steel uniflex 3.4.5.6.7.8.9.pw, s/a
New Ping B60 v2 putter
Callaway Fusion FT-3 driver (10 degree)
Callaway Steel Head 3
Callaway carry bag

I can pick the whole thing up for $250.

I had been looking at Callaway Diablo Edge Irons, which from what I've read are among the most forgiving clubs out there.

Since I'm so bad, and since I'm not going to become a great golfer (although I do want to improve) I'm wondering how much more forgiving the Diablo Edges would be compared to the X-20s. I know they are considered more forgiving, but is it by a significant amount, or is the difference relatively subtle?

I can buy a set of used Diablo Edges for probably $175 used or $225 new, but then I'd have to buy a driver, some other woods, a putter, etc. to round out a set. Again, I don't want the price to be the determining factor, but if the X-20s and the Diablos Edges are really similar, the set described above would be an inexpensive and simple way to go.

I don't want to make a mistake though, for the sake of saving $100 or so altogether. I want to buy the right thing - something that will help me to reach "respectable" playing level.

[/SUB]

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

I'd say it is good. If you ever get the chance though, go through a proper fitting. You might find a tweak here or there will help you along. Driver loft for example is a stab in the dark without a fitting. Hope they work for you!

 

[tequila4kapp]

My suggestion would be to take the same money and use it for a lesson series. I think you will see more benefit / improvement out of that than you will out of new clubs. When you come out the other side of the lessons you'll have a better idea about the characteristics of clubs that suit your swing.

 

[Wake]

Is there anyway for you to hit the clubs before buying? Just because I hit a club well, doesn't mean you will. If you have a golf store nearby, I would go in and hit some different clubs, and find out if you need stiff shafts, regular, steel or graphite etc. It will help you make a good choice in irons to buy. I actually like the X20 irons a good bit, but those woods are quite old, and won't be near as forgiving as some of the more recent products. What clubs are you currently playing?

Good luck finding some clubs that will help you improve.

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

Do you already have clubs and are looking for better stuff, or do you need a set and that's why you're buying? X-20's and Diablo Edge's are both game improvement sticks, so you'll probably be ok with either set of heads, but you want to make sure you get the right shafts ("Uniflex" is not a very telling flex stat haha). A fitting would be best, but if you don't want to spend on it, at least go to a shop and swing some different flexes on a launch monitor to get an idea of what works best. Yes, the woods are very old, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not any good - I'm still gaming Cleveland HiBore 3w and 2h that are easily 7 - 8 years old.

Let us know what you decide/any other questions!

 

[TeedUpThoughts]

If you don't have clubs now, and are only planning on playing 2-3 times per year why not just rent or use the demo clubs available at most courses? If you'd like to buy a set to try and play/practice more often then I don't think $250 is a bad investment in an entire set to see if you will spend more time on course/range. You should be able to recoup most of that money in a years time should you decide not to continue to pursue golf as a hobby.

I say this, of course, with the statements above being the most ideal...go to a store/pro-shop and get properly fit for the clubs that are going to be most beneficial to your personal swing characteristics and playing abilities. Best of luck in your search and please look around THP to learm more about the equipment and techniques out there to elp you improve your game.

 

[One-T]

I personally would buy the Callaways. Then piece your bag together. Even if they are not the most forgiving club out there, you will have instant confidence because you feel like they are so forgiving.

You can piece together a very nice bag for pretty cheap right now.

My suggestion would be to take the same money and use it for a lesson series. I think you will see more benefit / improvement out of that than you will out of new clubs. When you come out the other side of the lessons you'll have a better idea about the characteristics of clubs that suit your swing.

I dont know if I agree. And quite frankly this did nothing for the OP.

what if he is playing some old doodie clubs? then new clubs would help. What if he doesnt have clubs?

Its apparent he is on a budget.

 

[Grandadddy]

Thanks for the replies thus far. To answer a few of the points that were made:

1. Right now I have NO clubs. I had a really (I mean REALLY) old set. From back when "woods" really meant made-of-wood (and were tiny) and some little bitty blades. My son was using them (and losing them one at a time!) until he got serious and bought some new clubs. The last few times I've played (with him) I played out of his bag, but that obviously isn't going to work in other situations. So I'm starting fresh.

2. The suggestion of lessons is a great one - and one that I intend to follow later on this year. For now though it's not a clubs or lessons question - since as noted above, I have no clubs.

3. I wondered about the "uniflex" shafts. But that is what the Callaway steel shafts are as far as I can tell. It's only the graphite that comes in different flex categories. (I'm pretty sure that I don't swing hard enough to make a stiff shaft make sense, and it would bruise my pride and piss me off to have to go with "senior" - even though I'm not that far away in age and probably swing like an 80-year old grandma.)

Again, I'm not married to the idea of the X-20 set (with the older woods) that I discussed before. It was just a seemingly easy and relatively inexpensive way to go.

This is a dumb question, but for a simulator and/or fitting - would you find that only at a golf-specific store or a pro shop, or do they have the equipment and expertise at a general purpose store (Dick's, etc.)?

 

[One-T]

Well, the uniflex will be fine for you. Assuming you dont have a super fast swing speed.

I personally would piece a bag together if I were you. Once you get "hooked" you will want to buy more stuff anyway

 

[Wake]

If you look as the purchase as a way to get back into it, and would be open to piecing together your wood around the irons going forward, I would say go ahead and do it. And as your game improves, you can start looking for woods and wedges to build around your solid iron set. If you are going to be married to these clubs, I would buy the Edge irons, and then go buy an extremely cheap used driver, knowing you won't mind replacing it later.

I think you will be well served to go with either set of irons.

 

[jmatt]

The Edges are to me a touch easier to get up in the air. The X-20s are certainly good sticks, though
Don't know about the putter, that's on you.
The woods....good in their day. The Steelhead was very popular IIRC. Driver might be the first thing to change, unless you hit it well.
Toss in a bag, for $250? I don't know how hard those have been used, but looking at the PGA price guide for resale...that's a good deal.

There's really not a ton to choose between the irons, for me. Edge's are a bit bigger head IIRC, which is a plus or minus to you.

Oh, and I actually like the Uniflex. Think "Regular +". I can't really manage a stiff flex, but these I can swing nicely. 6i was 85 ish, Driver 96 last time I got on the sim.

 

[Golf Ghost]

I personally would buy the Callaways. Then piece your bag together. Even if they are not the most forgiving club out there, you will have instant confidence because you feel like they are so forgiving.

You can piece together a very nice bag for pretty cheap right now.


I dont know if I agree. And quite frankly this did nothing for the OP.

what if he is playing some old doodie clubs? then new clubs would help. What if he doesnt have clubs?

Its apparent he is on a budget.

Well, the uniflex will be fine for you. Assuming you dont have a super fast swing speed.

I personally would piece a bag together if I were you. Once you get "hooked" you will want to buy more stuff anyway

Two great post by One-T and I agree with his suggestion.

 

[ddxu]

How tall are you? I might have something in the closet that can get you started.

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

This is a dumb question, but for a simulator and/or fitting - would you find that only at a golf-specific store or a pro shop, or do they have the equipment and expertise at a general purpose store (Dick's, etc.)?

Not a dumb question! Most Dick's stores do actually have launch monitors now, but there's no guarantee - call up your local store and see whether they do or not. However, if there's a Golf Galaxy or something similar near you, they are guaranteed to have a launch monitor and a resident pro or two.

And now knowing that you have no clubs, I'd say that $250 for all that to get you back into the game is a killer deal, and that you can go for it if it sounds good to you. You can always (as others have said) piece together a set around those x-20's if you don't like the other clubs after you hit them a while - you won't probably need an upgrade to a "player's iron" until your cap drops to a 15 or so.

Good luck!

 

[darnall]

Grandaddy...check your PMs...I have a complete bag set up that I have been hanging on to until I found a beginner that needed a good set of clubs to start enjoying the game with. I wanted to sell them to somebody local, but since THP is one big family I would be more than happy to see them leave the state if they were going to a fellow THPer. Read your message and reply or call me if you want to discuss further.

And welcome to 2 of my favorite addictions...playing golf and The Hackers Paradise..prepare to be consumed with the game and the site...hahaha

 

[IceyShanks]

Well, the uniflex will be fine for you. Assuming you dont have a super fast swing speed.

I personally would piece a bag together if I were you. Once you get "hooked" you will want to buy more stuff anyway

Both great points, I think the uniflex is probably a good place to start.

But know once you are hooked, your bag continually changes!

 

[PaulieWalnuts]

For $250 it's a good starter set for a beginner. FT-3 is still one of my top 5 drivers of all time and I won't get rid of mine. If the sticks are in good shape I'd jump on it. Have fun with the game in the beginning, go to the range and just hit, come here and ask questions, take a video of your swing to post up for people to give you pointers. You want to get better go for lessons, your instructor can steer you to what you may need in terms of tweaks to equipment. If you decide to take up the game more and want to invest in better equipment, than do so then.

 

[Kobey]

I'd definitely go for a good name brand set if you can get one that cheap, and from what I've seen so far in this thread, maybe a whole lot cheaper. (Way to go THP'ers) Right now it looks like you just want to have something in your bag that you feel somewhat confident in and don't feel like a complete beginner when someone invites you for a round. Lessons, fittings and finding the best clubs for your game can wait a while yet. First you need to see if you like the game enough to put a substantial investment into it or if you just want to go out and smack the ball around a few times a year with your buddies.

 

[Jschiele]

My suggestion would be to take the same money and use it for a lesson series. I think you will see more benefit / improvement out of that than you will out of new clubs. When you come out the other side of the lessons you'll have a better idea about the characteristics of clubs that suit your swing.

Agreed! I found out the hard way. Lol!

 

[JF]

If they are used clubs, make sure he lets you hit them first.

 

[JLit]

I say it's a great deal for someone needing a full set including bag. If you bought new that same $250 would get you a crap boxed set.

Make sure to look them over good. No significant damage on the heads and shafts. If all good, buy them, go pick out and have new grips installed, and enjoy!

 

[Fourwiggle]

My suggestion would be to take the same money and use it for a lesson series. I think you will see more benefit / improvement out of that than you will out of new clubs. When you come out the other side of the lessons you'll have a better idea about the characteristics of clubs that suit your swing.

Most definitely!

Not a dumb question! Most Dick's stores do actually have launch monitors now, but there's no guarantee - call up your local store and see whether they do or not. However, if there's a Golf Galaxy or something similar near you, they are guaranteed to have a launch monitor and a resident pro or two.

And now knowing that you have no clubs, I'd say that $250 for all that to get you back into the game is a killer deal, and that you can go for it if it sounds good to you. You can always (as others have said) piece together a set around those x-20's if you don't like the other clubs after you hit them a while - you won't probably need an upgrade to a "player's iron" until your cap drops to a 15 or so.

Good luck!

I think you should follow both of these. The clubs are a tremendous deal to get you started and the Uniflex shafts will be great as well. You need some lessons definitely because you don't want to get into bad habits that you'll have to break later. You also need clubs that stay the same while you re-learn the game.

My advice: buy some sticks, regrip them immediately if they're used and find a decent PGA instructor you're comfortable with and get started on the "right" foot, so-to-speak...

 

[All4's]

I agree with One-T and suggest getting the Diablos or X-20's alone and piecing the rest together.

I'm most concerned with the FT-3 driver. It is a very hard to hit club for most.

You can find fairway woods/hybrids/putters from 2-3 seasons ago for $20-30 with patience.

I also wouldn't be afraid to shy away from the big companies and look at Dynacraft, Wishon, Integra or KZG and so forth. You can get excellent clubs for less by stepping away from the big names.

 

[Grandadddy]

You guys are great. I appreciate all of the suggestions and help. Here's another question that comes to mind:

The X-20s that I'm looking at have a red lie indicator - which according to the Callaway site means "2 degrees flat"

I've also located a set of Diablo Edge irons that have a white stripe - which is "2 degrees up."

I only have a general understanding of this - and I would imagine that the answer is going to be that without a proper evaluation and fitting it would be impossible to determine what is right for me. With most clubs I know that you would just have then adjusted/bent but if I understand correctly, with Callaway clubs this cannot be done locally - but instead have to be sent back to Callaway.

From what I've read there are some very general guidelines based on height, etc. but I don't know how true that is. I'm 5'11" by the way.

Heck, the way I swing, the difference of a degree here or the in the lie probably doesn't matter. I kind of look like a cross between the Grim Reaper swinging his scythe and someone trying to swat at hornets with a broom.

Any general thoughts? Does it even matter?

 

[wadesworld]

I only have a general understanding of this - and I would imagine that the answer is going to be that without a proper evaluation and fitting it would be impossible to determine what is right for me. With most clubs I know that you would just have then adjusted/bent but if I understand correctly, with Callaway clubs this cannot be done locally - but instead have to be sent back to Callaway.

I'm no expert, but I don't see why this would be true. Anyone with the proper equipment should be able to bend them.

Heck, the way I swing, the difference of a degree here or the in the lie probably doesn't matter. I kind of look like a cross between the Grim Reaper swinging his scythe and someone trying to swat at hornets with a broom.

Any general thoughts? Does it even matter?

Yes, it does matter. If nothing else, you want to have confidence that the clubs you're swinging are right for you. It would be awfully hard to have confidence when after every bad shot you're thinking, "Did I make a bad swing or was it because my clubs don't fit me right?"