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help me pick out a new set of clubs

SuperStroke
cg13

cg13

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So ive been researching for about a week now - my old set of clubs is 10 years old -

Im 33 years old - play about once or twice a month.
5'8" - 180 lbs - male
semi-athletic

My old clubs are the burner bubbles - and stiff steel irons. tour. (mistake i know) i top and slice alot and dont get off the tee very well.

I usually shoot around 110-125 - short game is good - driving is terrible, usually dont hit 3-4 irons.

So im looking at some game improvement clubs. Ive always liked taylor made clubs so will be sticking with them.

DRIVERS
r7 CGB Max driver vs R9 460 driver
leaning the 10.5 degree r9 460 driver...

FAIRWAY WOODS
r9 fairway woods - 3 and 5 wood

HYBRID
i have a burner rescue 3 hybrid now at 19 degrees.
probably add a 4 hybrid at 22 degrees

IRONS

burner superlaunch
2009 r7 cgb max
burner plus irons
r9 irons

Tough one here... Ive tried to find what the difference between all the burner series are - and whether or not i need the r7 CGB max irons from 2009 that look like they offer the most forgiveness.

I top and slice often - so would like a little oversize iron with help getting airborne.

The burner superlaunch series seems like they are for older people? from what ive read - probably not the best fit for me.

probably wont use the r9's they seem liek they are for lower handicappers.

any ideas?


WEDGES
probably pick up a cleveland cg series gap wedge to fill int he gap between PW and SW. maybe a 50 and a 60 degree.



so most of my decisions have been foocused on narrowing the subtle differences of irons -
i like the idea of maximum forgiveness that both the burner superlaunch and r7 cgb max irons offer. Question is whether that is too much forgiveness - or if i would be better suited with teh r9's?

thanks all for the help.
 
Burner Superfast Driver,
same with 5 wood
superlaunch 3-AW, rac 56,60

you wont need a hybrid with the superlaunch
 
:welcome:
 
While forgiveness should be your main focus and is always a good thing, a slice and topping the ball are most likely swing flaws (coming over the top and/or picking up body) and few irons will cure that, however a few will help. Over the top is probably why your struggling off the tee as well. Ill come out and say what many will as well, in that 1-2 quick lessons would be of more help before buying clubs. It could get you on the proper plane so that your purchase of clubs will make more sense.

There are hundreds of good choices and you have quite a few listed here. Definitely try out as many as you can and DEFINITELY get them fit for you so that you can make sure that lie angle and length are not contributing to the issues that you hare having.

I reviewed the Burner Super launch and do not think they are for seniors at all. Nor are the HB3s from Cleveland. Just sets that offer maximum forgiveness via thick sole and weighting.
 
I wouldn't limit yourself to TM. I like them too, but there are so many clubs out there and you might find that some are a better fit for you. You owe it to yourself to try as many out as you can.
 
hawk308 said:
I wouldn't limit yourself to TM. I like them too, but there are so many clubs out there and you might find that some are a better fit for you. You owe it to yourself to try as many out as you can.
Click to expand...

like the half and half wilsons! D-FY i think? they are pretty nice.
 
Thainer21 said:
like the half and half wilsons! D-FY i think? they are pretty nice.
Click to expand...

Those things were smoooooth. The Diablo Edge were too and I wish I could have spent more time trying them out.
 
If you are hell bent on TM gear I'd look at getting a regular Burner driver, they are very forgiving and will save you money.

The Burner irons are great and very forgiving, older set, the RACOS2s are also very good and again a lot cheaper.

Keep it cheap and invest in some lessons would be my advice and probably get the lessons first. That way you'll have a better idea of what type of iron is going to suit you and driver too for that matter. You may do well with a draw bias one, not my preference but just an example of what you may find out.
 
I know you seem hellbent on Tm's, but I recently bought myself some new SGI irons. They're Cobra SZ's, very wide sole, very deep cavity.
The best thing to do is just hit as many different clubs as you can, that way it'll be easy to just pick what feels the best for you.
But JB is right. With the problems you're describing, the swing seems to need a little work too.
 
Hmmm...I played last week with someone who sounds like they have a similar game; he shot about 115(ish) and was an adequate putter and not the worst driver -- on or near about 40% of the fairways. But, he topped or fatted every iron and then turned around and thinned wedges as well. He was playing with, what looked to me, like a very forgiving set of clubs: Cally Diablo driver, 5w/7w, a couple of Diablo hybrids and Diablo Edge irons. He was a Chicago cop, early 30s and very strong.

All this is a prelude to the fact that some basic setup and swing mechanics were going to help him more than his brand new, forgiving, very nice set of clubs. The errors were legion: no weight shift back and little pivot; swing was all arms and inconsistent. Too steep and OTP on one swing then around the body on the next. No consistent setup: grip, distance from ball, ball position, etc. Probably just having a consistent grip, ball position, and shortening his swing would have dropped his score by 10+ shots. This is what he did with his driver swing -- strong grip, ball forward and flat, 3/4 swing and it worked for him.

From an irons perspective, any of the recent TM SGI clubs over the past couple of seasons should work fine. I have a friend who routinely breaks 80 and he uses the Burner XD irons and he really doesn't need a lot of forgiveness but likes it just the same!
 
I'll add my two cents in favor of lessons, not clubs. If you get your swing sorted out with a pro, you'll be in a much better position to choose clubs that are appropriate. Look for a series of 4-5 lessons over a period of time and you'll be amazed at the progress you make.

Also, I don't think it's good to be totally fixed on one brand (ignore the fact that my bag is 100% Ping right now, that's by accident, not design). There are tons of great options out there, including TM.
 
i was amazed with the Callaway Diablo Edge irons. You might wanna give those a shot. Also, I hear lots of great things about the Nike Machspeeds, but I havent hit them yet. Might wanna give those two a shot. or, be one of the 1st ones to try the Callaway X24 Hot! (not available yet though)
25444_390333772349_25174707349_3827392_5749864_n.jpg
 
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I would not limit yourself to TM (although, if you look at my sig, I like their stuff). There were several good sets at the FL demo day. I liked the Titleist AP1 and the Machspeed irons. If you want a forgiving driver, I would suggest the G15. It is so straight, it is like cheating (to quote JB from this weekend). I do believe that the most important thing in the world is getting fitted for clubs and lessons. I could not hit my CG15 wedges to save my life and then I got them bent to my specifications and that solved everything.
 
KickaPoo said:
i was amazed with the Callaway Diablo Edge irons. You might wanna give those a shot. Also, I hear lots of great things about the Nike Machspeeds, but I havent hit them yet. Might wanna give those two a shot. or, be one of the 1st ones to try the Callaway X24 Hot! (not available yet though)
25444_390333772349_25174707349_3827392_5749864_n.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh my.. I sure hope those irons perform because I want them! Any info. on release date?
 
thanks all for the replies - i have known i need lessons - those are planned as well - i was mainly trying to figure out the difference the r7 and r9 irons are from the burners. Are the burners designed to do something the r9's aren't? Why have a burner line and a r9 line... i guess i am trying to determine.

i think i play too small an iron now. When i hit a bad shot - i can tell if i hit it off sweetspot.

Ill try and find a place here to test a few of those sets mentioned - and will look for some more documentation on the burner line. thanks for the help!
 
some additional info:
i drive around 235-260 when i do hit it right. haha.
7 iron is normally 150-155 - pretty consistently.

Also - are seemore putters the be-all end-all i have been reading about? Might try a platinum M blade.
 
computergeek13 said:
some additional info:
i drive around 235-260 when i do hit it right. haha.
7 iron is normally 150-155 - pretty consistently.

Also - are seemore putters the be-all end-all i have been reading about? Might try a platinum M blade.
Click to expand...

The reason to have both lines is two parts. One part sales and marketing, and one part performance and who they are made for. The R9 and Burner irons are extremely different. They look, sound, feel, and perform differently.

As for SeeMore putters, there really is not a greatest putter. But they make a darn good one if you ask me and they do have the best customer service I have ever seen.
 
thanks JB - will have to see if there is a seemore dealer in town here.
 
I absolutely loathe the R7 irons. I made the mistake of buying them when I first got started. The face feels like it is going to shatter when you hit a good shot.
 
found a golftec in the area - going to have a fitting session monday am - see what they will recommend for my swing. the guy said they had several clubs to try and will help me get into a set of clubs that best suits me. Pretty nice - see how it goes!
 
Thainer21 said:
Burner Superfast Driver,

you wont need a hybrid with the superlaunch
Click to expand...

what are the selling points of the superfast driver? i mean- do they give more loft off the tee-long distance - help with a nice draw? how would you compare that to the r9 460?
 
the guy at golftec did ask me if i had looked at any clubs yet - mentioned the pings and the TM's.

other than that i gathered this much from the first page of clubs to try:
Cleveland HB3
Wilsons
Cobra SZ's
Callaway diablo edge
Nike Machspeeds
taylor made r9
taylor made burner line?


Ping g15 driver


are the burner series designed for more of a high handicapper - or mid handicapper? are they more of a game improvement club than the normal r9's? or are the r9's steered towards more of a lower handicapper?

any other sets you would recommend? Ill try as many as i can. See what the golf pro recommends too.

anyways, best round last year was a 102. I would LOVE to get down around 85-90 this year.. going to get fitted for a set - and find some lessons - see how they do.
 
Looks like you have a good list there and are going to find a great set for yourself.

I wouldn't get too hung up on who the r9 and Burners were made for. . Both have game improvement qualities to them and either one could work for you. Hopefully, they have the TM SuperLaunch too. You can read about them here http://thehackersparadise.com/home/?p=7431
 
Gotta agree about the Cleveland HB3's. I've never hit an iron better. I didn't like the Super Launchers, but to be fair, it may be because they had a stiff shaft.
 
I thought the same thing Smalls. I would be interested to try them with a little more flex.

The Wilson Staff D-FY set really worked for me. I just keep thinking about how high and straight I was hitting with that six iron. I just can't afford to spend 600-700 on a new set of irons right now. You gonna pick up the Clevelands?
 
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