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First set of clubs? $1,600?

SuperStroke
First set of clubs? $1,600?

Good.Shepherd said:
It's about incentives, not expertise

Many golf pro shops, including the pros who have a stake in them, either make a commission or have their incentives tied up in inventory and moving inventory. And this is nothing new--it goes back in my understanding to Butch Harmon and Tommy Armor teaming up and selling "custom fit clubs" to club members that were just cash inventory stock. Walter Hagan used to do the same thing, playing courses with amateurs in order to sell them equipment or real estate.

I'm not suggesting all pros do it, but I can tell you that a pro who doesn't earn a commission or a percentage of inventory revenue (if they have a stake in the shop) is the exception. I'm sure they're out there, but if you erred on the side of caution you'd be right much more than you'd be wrong.

Again, it's not all nefarious intent. It's just basic incentives. For a pro to sell you into a "set you can grow into"--what happens if you don't hit them well? Well, obviously you can use some more lessons. Win/Win/Win. They sold the clubs, they got a commission, and then they sold more lessons.

But for a shop that deals in all equipment, they want to make you happy because if they do not, you'll go somewhere else. They make their money selling equipment, too, but they're not nearly as limited in inventory in the same ways. They cannot hide behind the imprimatur of "pro" or your club expert. They have to prove themselves to you and cannot leverage the student/teacher relationship.
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Oh I was just having fun with this quote as it became my bosses excuse for everything when I told him, the xxxx went out for the third time this year and I had xyz company out to fix it. They say it's had a good run for 15 years, time to consider replacing it.

He would always pull that line on me. Id get frustrated and say, "well do you want me to call the Pest control guy to look at the pool pump :)"

But your point about pro shops is spot on. I know a few head peps that took one job over another because of their % of pro shop sales.
 
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HoselRocket104 said:
Nothing better than R7s and X-20s? Strongly disagree. I'm not in the business but I've hit your two recommendations and they're no where near what I currently play.
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I think what he was saying was for a player in the OP's position. However, the X-20's and r7s are quality irons for the price. I've started half a dozen friends on the game and they always ask me to go with them to buy their clubs. The only time we didn't get something used was when we found a set of burner 2.0 for $299 in the box at Golf Galaxy. Everyone else I helped still play the same used sets with better results than our other friends who have speed pockets and rocket ships attached to their clubs.

When I think about being a new golfer and buying clubs I look at it a lot like getting your first car. It doesn't have to be the biggest and best. It just needs to get you around for a few years until you feel you're ready to move on, or it dies.

This deal sounds like a pro trying to clear out his inventory and sell a membership while he's at it. If it were me right now, I would take it. But, if it were me just starting off I would pass. Although, what else was included in the membership? Lessons, unlimited range balls, indoor time?

Tapping away on my Galaxy 2 Note
 
the voice of reason!!
 
GMAMAS GOLF said:
thank you mulligan, that is exactly my point. NOBODY can tell a beginner golfer what is best for them. butch harmon couldnt help this guy pick out irons if he has only been "taking lesson" for a few weeks. so i think it is irresponsible to sell a newbie a new, expensive set of clubs. i used x-20's and r7's as examples because they worked so well for so many people that there is a better than average chance they will work for andy. all of these post are coming from people who already understand their game. there weaknesses and strengths. they know what they like to feel and what they dont. you have to look at it from the eyes of somebody who has no idea about any of those things. i see that you play x forged irons. you are either a very good player or a masochist. i will assume you are a good player. nothing that would make sense for you can transfer to someone who doesnt even own a set of clubs yet.
i will stick with my premise of a good quality low priced used iron that has been a success to many many players. then if that doesnt work you can spend 50 bucks and try another set.
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JB said:
FWIW, I tend to agree with Gmamas. For all the people saying go for it, do you honestly believe that if you just picked up the game, took a couple of lessons, someone should plunk down over 1500 bucks before they even know if the game will stick?

Gmamas is in the business to sell gear and even he thinks that one should crawl before they should walk. The ability to start small (investment wise) and find out if you end up loving the game, improving at the game and plan on sticking with the game seems like incredibly sound advice.
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I've had similar conversations with starter golfers. They talk about buying a cheap brand that comes in a full set (yet new), and I tell them to go for some slightly used gear that was at one point top tier. I see no point in spending crazy money on a game you haven't even decided whether you love yet.

Great strategy. Maybe not the R7 or the X22 for this particular person, but certainly something similar and from the same era. With how much used stock golf stores carry these days, they can probably go decide for themselves between 10 similar sets.
 
Wow for the deal you get on the clubs take it, then sell the full Bridgestone bag (you'll get way more than 500) and use that to buy new clubs.
 
Thanks guys for all the help.

I decided to buy used. I ran my choice by my instructor, and he was really excited about the choices. He said if I'm going used, he would have suggested building a similar bag.

He suggested I play with these for about 2 years then re-evaluate. He said the first year is really about getting my swing down. He said I'll start to understand preferences in year two, and that's when I'll be better equipped to make that decision.

This is what I ended up buying:

TaylorMade R7 XD Irons 4-PW,SW
TaylorMade RBZ Driver
TaylorMade R580 Titanium 3 Wood
Odyssey Rossie I Putter

I'll just need to buy an actual bag locally to keep all these clubs.

Total cost: $385 shipped.
 
Andy216 said:
Thanks guys for all the help.

I decided to buy used. I ran my choice by my instructor, and he was really excited about the choices. He said if I'm going used, he would have suggested building a similar bag.

He suggested I play with these for about 2 years then re-evaluate. He said the first year is really about getting my swing down. He said I'll start to understand preferences in year two, and that's when I'll be better equipped to make that decision.

This is what I ended up buying:

TaylorMade R7 XD Irons 4-PW,SW
TaylorMade RBZ Driver
TaylorMade R580 Titanium 3 Wood
Odyssey Rossie I Putter

I'll just need to buy an actual bag locally to keep all these clubs.

Total cost: $385 shipped.
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Awesome Andy glad you found some clubs. That's a great setup to start with and I think you'll be really happy with them, especially for the price. Congrats
 
Congrats on your purchase dude! It's gonna be an awesome feeling when those show up.
 
Andy216 said:
Thanks guys for all the help.

I decided to buy used. I ran my choice by my instructor, and he was really excited about the choices. He said if I'm going used, he would have suggested building a similar bag.

He suggested I play with these for about 2 years then re-evaluate. He said the first year is really about getting my swing down. He said I'll start to understand preferences in year two, and that's when I'll be better equipped to make that decision.

This is what I ended up buying:

TaylorMade R7 XD Irons 4-PW,SW
TaylorMade RBZ Driver
TaylorMade R580 Titanium 3 Wood
Odyssey Rossie I Putter

I'll just need to buy an actual bag locally to keep all these clubs.

Total cost: $385 shipped.
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starting with used clubs is the way to go, nice shopping out there
 
Great setup there Andy. And you still have $1200 in the bank and a happy wife ...win win
 
Great idea Andy, sounds like you found a really good deal on your new set. Way to go, enjoy them!
 
We can all take our daggers out of the instructor now!!!! Sounds like he did the stand up thing with some sound advice.
 
Andy216 said:
He suggested I play with these for about 2 years then re-evaluate. He said the first year is really about getting my swing down. He said I'll start to understand preferences in year two, and that's when I'll be better equipped to make that decision.
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When I first started, I just assumed all clubs were the same, and honestly I couldn't swing clubs and tell you what I liked or disliked about them. After reading THP, taking lessons, and playing though ... it all started to sink in and I could then put my thumb on what I preferred and what I wanted to avoid. Congratulations on starting that journey! It can certainly be addictive but a lot of fun!
 
$1600? Ummm....no. Sounds like he is trying to pull a fast one on you. You could easily go on Ebay and buy a really nice, almost new set of irons for $300-500 and have something plenty good.
IMO, especially if you are just starting out, you want the most forgiving set of clubs that you can stand to look down at. Unless you are a scratch player, you dont NEED blades or a player's CB iron and even then its more a matter of personal preference than it is an actual need or something thats going to make you play better.
 
Most important is to get fitted. If you have a setup which ends with half an inch longer , 3 up, and slightly thinner grips then you dont want standard setup!! This has nothing with how long u Been playin


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I didn't read the last 4 pages, but it seems to me the best idea would be to buy a used set for much cheaper. If you find out down the road that you would really like to buy a membership and upgrade clubs, the deal should still be there. They may try to sell you on it as a one time thing, but typically if they are making money from it than they'll be just as willing to make the same deal 1 year down the road.
 
tzeboss said:
Most important is to get fitted. If you have a setup which ends with half an inch longer , 3 up, and slightly thinner grips then you dont want standard setup!! This has nothing with how long u Been playin
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I would disagree on getting a fitting before taking a decent amount of lessons. After those lessons, his swing may have been tweaked enough that the specs from the fitting don't meet the new swing. I always saw a fitting as the final piece in the cog, that it'll take your already good game and make it slightly better, but if you're just starting out, not having a fitting won't make you worse off.
 
deuce said:
I would disagree on getting a fitting before taking a decent amount of lessons. After those lessons, his swing may have been tweaked enough that the specs from the fitting don't meet the new swing. I always saw a fitting as the final piece in the cog, that it'll take your already good game and make it slightly better, but if you're just starting out, not having a fitting won't make you worse off.
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I disagree as Lie, length, and grip size has nothing to do with your swing but more to do with arm length and size of hands. Silly hitting a wrong setup where the problem is the setup and not the swing. All should have basic fitting


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tzeboss said:
I disagree as Lie, length, and grip size has nothing to do with your swing but more to do with arm length and size of hands. Silly hitting a wrong setup where the problem is the setup and not the swing. All should have basic fitting


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I would disagree, it has a lot to do with the swing, well not grip sise, but lenght and lie can change dependign of you swing, I would start with standard and once you have a somewhat repeatable swing, then get fit
 
I think you made the right decision, and it looks like you found some quality used clubs for a good deal. Well done sir!

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FYI: I got these clubs from Trader Golf, which I was referred to by a member.

A very patient man named Todd helped me out. He gave me a set of options for each, that he uses regularly. He showed me not only his own products, but examples on eBay or Craigslist. He said I could probably save a little money going that route, but his price was very competitive. Because the service was so good, it was worth the extra few bucks. Plus, they have a return policy that's sweet too -- you can trade out any clubs you don't like.

I would absolutely look at Trader Golf if you're shopping used and don't know what you're doing!
 
ok, fitting has nothing to do with lie or length at this stage. maybe grip size, but there is no perfect match there either. some people like bigger grips and some smaller. so trying to determine that at this point would be a waste too.

even though i hardly believe in fitting at all, unless you are a plus handicap or you have a body type that would require it. like tall with short arms or short with long arms. i do know for 100% sure that it has to be a dynamic process. you have to "swing" a club to get any reasonable fitting. that being said, you can have people with the exact same build get completely different fittings because there swings are so different. and since andy will not swing the club the same way two times in a row, much less many times in a row, for a very long time (if ever) the idea of a "fitting" ,at this time, is a waste of time and maybe money. and it adds confusion to an already very difficult undertaking.

duece your take is dead on the money. a fitting at this point may in fact hinder his progress instead of helping it. i say that because most people who do "fittings" usually want to come up with something to change to make themselves useful. when in fact, they should not be doing a fitting on someone like andy at all. i would guess that 95% of all golfers play with clubs straight off the rack and are perfectly happy with them.
i have owned golf stores for a little over 18 years. i have never been "fit" for clubs and i dont ever expect to. i see the yahoo's everyday that want us to bend their 60 degree wedge 1/2 degree flat, but they cant break 80. every day!! it is borderline insane.
 
GMAMAS GOLF said:
ok, fitting has nothing to do with lie or length at this stage. maybe grip size, but there is no perfect match there either. some people like bigger grips and some smaller. so trying to determine that at this point would be a waste too.

even though i hardly believe in fitting at all, unless you are a plus handicap or you have a body type that would require it. like tall with short arms or short with long arms. i do know for 100% sure that it has to be a dynamic process. you have to "swing" a club to get any reasonable fitting. that being said, you can have people with the exact same build get completely different fittings because there swings are so different. and since andy will not swing the club the same way two times in a row, much less many times in a row, for a very long time (if ever) the idea of a "fitting" ,at this time, is a waste of time and maybe money. and it adds confusion to an already very difficult undertaking.

duece your take is dead on the money. a fitting at this point may in fact hinder his progress instead of helping it. i say that because most people who do "fittings" usually want to come up with something to change to make themselves useful. when in fact, they should not be doing a fitting on someone like andy at all. i would guess that 95% of all golfers play with clubs straight off the rack and are perfectly happy with them.
i have owned golf stores for a little over 18 years. i have never been "fit" for clubs and i dont ever expect to. i see the yahoo's everyday that want us to bend their 60 degree wedge 1/2 degree flat, but they cant break 80. every day!! it is borderline insane.
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My golf instructor includes a fitting in his lessons, but recommends doing the fitting after you've been golfing for at least a year.
 
i am starting to like this instructor more and more!!
 
I'm no expert, but fitting will really benefit you if you make a repeatable swing.

If you aren't an avid golfer, and you only play a few times per year, your swing is going to be slightly different each time you play. Therefore, fitting wouldn't be much of a benefit.

Now, with this said, if you are 5'2, or 6'10", obviously getting shorter or longer clubs are probably a requirement, but in general most people should play stock until they can repeat the same move. THEN, getting fit could help.
 
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