New Golf Clubs - need help/suggestions - got gift cards to Golf Galaxy

[artcarney_agr]

Hey golf guys....

Here's the deal, I've been using the same set of Sam's Club Wilson beginner golf clubs for the past 20 plus or minus years...I got them when I was about 8 or 10 years old. I played a good bit of golf when I got them, if you would call it that. I lived close enough to the country club that I could drive the cart over there and play all I wanted. About a year later I gained access to a boat, and pretty well left the clubs at home for a fishing pole from then on.

In recent years, I've been passing up a lot of opportunities to spend work days on the golf course with clients, simply because I cringe at the thought of being in the presence of clients and displaying my ridiculous act of swinging clubs at little balls and knocking them into the woods or water and confirming that I have no place on a golf course.

Last year I made a concientious effort to play more, read golf books, study up on techniques, and actually keep score for the first time to track my progress. I played 9 holes in the evenings about once a week, sometimes more when possible. I played several different courses, kept all my cards, and figured up that my average score on an 18 hole course is somewhere around 95. Is that something to be ashamed of?

Anyhow, the real reason for this post is to ask about new clubs and how I should go about it. I feel like my clubs are holding me back, as I can't seem to get the distance out of them that others do with more modern/advanced clubs. For $150, I can go through some sort of club fitting deal with a pro who will analyze different aspects of my swing and several other things. Is this really worth $150 or would I be better off just selecting what I like and putting that $150 towards the new clubs and maybe a golf lesson? Just trying to figure out what would be the best way to go about it. I've got a possible golf trip on the schedule in March for work with several clients. Two days of golf, 36 holes each day. I want to have some nice clubs by then and leave the clubs of my childhood behind.

Any suggestions?

[sc419795]

The local golf store by me fitted me up just fine - for no cost. I went in there and after talking a bit with the guy, he gave me 2 demo clubs to take with me - for as long as I needed. I finally settled on the Taylor Made R11 iron. I scheduled an appointment for him to fit me. He looked at club head speed, my height, size of my hands, length of my arms, then had me swing a few times with some tape on the bottom of the iron. The results were oversized grips with one additional wrap, shaft which is 1.5" long, and clubs which are 2 degrees upright. I have played 3-4 times with the new irons. I am hitting the ball further and straighter.

I don't believe there is a need for the $150. Just find a full service golf store, or maybe even your local golf course which has a Pro - and they can get you set up.

[smalljawguy]

I don't believe there is a need for the $150. Just find a full service golf store, or maybe even your local golf course which has a Pro - and they can get you set up.

good advice here. Shouldn't have to pay $150 to be fitted unless you are an advanced golfer

[artcarney_agr]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by smalljawguy &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I don't believe there is a need for the $150. Just find a full service golf store, or maybe even your local golf course which has a Pro - and they can get you set up.

good advice here. Shouldn't have to pay $150 to be fitted unless you are an advanced golfer</td></tr></table>

That's kind of what I thought too. Figured they would maybe apply that $150 as a credit towards your purchase, just in case you decided to go shop somewhere else and wasted their time....but it doesn't appear to be that way...

[artcarney_agr]

Here are the fitting services in question...
http://www.golfgalaxy.com/cust....aspx

Iron fitting - $50
Driver fitting - $30

Total package that includes irons, driver, putter, grips, shafts, hybrid/iron gapping, and so on is $150

[brnzbaklvr]

If there is a Golfsmith store in your area they will fit you for free......

If you buy Pings from a dealer they will fit you for free...(At least they should)..

[menoceros]

What the others said. With todays mpodern golf clubs, there's no reason for you to not play better. Most of the highly advertised sets of irons and woods are what are called "game improvement" The heads are made to widen the sweet spot so miss-hits are not as critical. A good shop can set you up and do basic fitting and order the set for you. The new hybrid irons are good also. Most full service shops have a practice area where you can try different brands. Some also have a "swing analyser" which watches you swing and makes suggestions. Most important is that the clubs are the correct length and the shafts are the correct flex for your swing, bad or ill fitting clubs can be more of a handicap than most people realize.

[Ratltrap]

I have to agree with Steve, no reason to pay a bunch of money for custom fitted clubs if you don't have to. There are several of the online stores that sell custom made clubs that have a free service that you put in all of your information and it will spit out what you need. I paid about $450.00 for a set of custom irons about 5 years ago from a walk in golf shop up in Michigan and it was the worse set of clubs I had ever had. I would have saved several hundred dollars by just going to Bass Pro Shops or Academy and buying off the shelf clubs as my custom set was no different in Loft or Lie and shaft length was standard. I bent every shaft this guy put into the clubs as he had to have used just the cheapest crap he could find. After a year I finally sent the clubs to the shaft manufacture and they re-shafted all of my clubs with a higher quality shaft. They were nice clubs after I got them back and I still use them. Just check out who you buy clubs from and you should be good to go.

[Shadillac1]

So when you are keeping score. Do you keep track of Fairways hit, Greens in regulation and # of putting strokes? I have played many a round of golf and played on a business tour. I can tell you that there is no substitue for accuracy and short game. The old saying, drive for show and putt for dough is right on imo.

Newer technology has alot to offer as far as forgiveness and accuracy in addittion to more distance. But in my experience, if the accuracy is not there all the distance will do is send you 30-50 yards deeper into the woods, over the green or out of bounds.

I would suggest going somewhere that has a driving range where you can test different sets and speak with a pro about your swing and game. You shouldn't have to pay $150 just to get fitted. Some other things to think about when selecting new clubs are swing speed and loft/lie as related to your stance. Some places have the indoor swing analysis that can measure your swing speed. This will be important in determining what flex you need, regular, stiff or XS. An easy way to do this is just to determine how far you hit a certain club. I think they use a 7 iron as a baseline. Golfsmith has some good info on their website you can use to help you also.

Hope some of this info helps. I enjoy both of the most frustrating sports in the world. Golf/Fishing.

[JoshKeller]

unless you have a consistant swing, chances are, the fitting wont be of much benefit. If you swing is consistant, then regardless of ability, it will help. You can buy a set of clubs off the rack, and take them to dicks sporting goods and have the loft/lies/shaft length fitted for you for under $75. Even if you decide to get a game improvement, which you should, I'd look into forged irons - you will know instantly where on the face you hit the ball. The hybrid to iron gap, ball fitting, and gap fittings are a waste IMO. Find what degree your irons will be, then space out the wedges by approx 4 - 5 degrees, and that gap will be taken care of. With an average score of 95, your swing just isnt consistant enough to worry about gapping, etc. Every single ball maker has a fitting questionaire online now. Bridgestones is exceptional, as is wilsons and titleists.

[Murph]

I agree with everyone above . NO WAY I PAY TO GET FITTED . Any good golf store will do it for free if your buying your clubs from them .

[BP in ME]

I actually had a good buying experience at Dick's. Worked with the pro for an hour and got a set of close-outs for decent $$$. Keep an eye open for last year's woods and you can put together a pretty good set for a hacker.

A couple of real lessons would probably be money well spent also.

[artcarney_agr]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Shadillac1 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">So when you are keeping score. Do you keep track of Fairways hit, Greens in regulation and # of putting strokes? I have played many a round of golf and played on a business tour. I can tell you that there is no substitue for accuracy and short game. The old saying, drive for show and putt for dough is right on imo.
</td></tr></table>

If I can get off of the tee box with a straight shot, the rest falls into place just fine, with the exception of my chipping, which I've been working on quite a bit.

I'm not looking for distance off the box, just accuracy. It baffles me in that I can go to the driving range and hit that dude straight all day long, but as soon as I get on the tee box, it's like I've lost all ability to hit it straight That's where I'm losing the most strokes, whether it be taking a drop, or having to hit around a tree or obstruction back into the fairway. I'd probably break 80 pretty easily if I just hit a 6 iron off the tee box for every hole....

[tcbass]

I bought new irons last summer for the 1st time in 20 years as well. But I just read up on them in Golf Digest magazine, then went to Dick's and tried out several different 6 irons from the sets I was interested in and I selected the ones I hit the most consistently. This cost me nothing at all. Ended up going with the Taylor Made Burner 2.0 in stiff shaft and now I am hitting 2 clubs less than I used to...hit my PW about 140 now instead of 120. Also, Dick's owns Golf Galaxy, so their prices are always the same. Hope this helps.

TC

[MrFish29]

The biggest mistake people make is spending $1000 for a new set and not getting fit. For that matter, $400 or a new driver and not getting fit. It makes no sense to me. There are so many variables when it comes to each club such as shaft flex, torque, ball speed, launch angle and spin. The lie and loft needs to fit your swing. You need to get fitted or you won't be happy. It will save you strokes.

Here is what I recommend. Go into any golf store and have them tape up a few clubs. Keep an open mind. Don't assume you are a PING guy or a Titleist guy. Hit them and see what feels best to you. Once that is done, find out when their next fitting session is scheduled with that manufacturer. The manufacturer will come in and fit you for free. If they do not know yet, go to the manufacturers website to see the schedule. It is listed. Sometimes they maybe held at a golf course.

I am not sure your golf game but Callaway, Ping and Adams are more forgiving. Don't kid yourself and assume you can hit what the pros play. The bottom line is that you want to score well. It cracks me up when someone shows up to a course with blades and still can break a 100.....

I spent $1000 about 10 years ago on a set of Pings and got fitted and immediately noticed the difference. I just purchased a set of Callaways and got fitted again. Didn't pay a dime for the fitting either time.

If you are shooting 95 right now, I will guarantee you will break 90 with a fitted set.

[MrFish29]

One more thing... If you can buy them directly from the manufacturer, you can order exactly what you want. Most people these days are not even hitting a 3 or 4 iron and replacing them with hybrids. You can do that with the manufacturer typically but not the golf shop unless the sets are pre-packaged.

[artcarney_agr]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by MrFish29 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Here is what I recommend. Go into any golf store and have them tape up a few clubs. Keep an open mind. Don't assume you are a PING guy or a Titleist guy. Hit them and see what feels best to you. Once that is done, find out when their next fitting session is scheduled with that manufacturer. The manufacturer will come in and fit you for free. If they do not know yet, go to the manufacturers website to see the schedule. It is listed. Sometimes they maybe held at a golf course. </td></tr></table>

That sounds like a pretty good approach. What do they actually do when you get "fitted"? Take measurements or what? What determines the flex?

[JoshKeller]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by artcarney_agr &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">

That sounds like a pretty good approach. What do they actually do when you get "fitted"? Take measurements or what? What determines the flex?
</td></tr></table>

Most places will have you swing onto a green "lie board" with tape on the sole of the iron. They read the mark on the tape, and bend the clubhead accordingly so the mark is in the middle. They also put a peice of tape on the face of the club, have you hit a few, and see where the mark is. If its closer to the hosel, they lengthen the club, if its towords the toe, they shorten it. Center is obviously ideal. Shaft flex is determined by swing speed, weight of the club, tempo - you can have a moderately slow swing, but if your swing is herky jerky, it will torque the clubs shaft and make it seem like its being swung faster. A launch moniter helps with the launch angle, spin, and other details to determine shaft flex.

[Shadillac1]

^ this (mr fish)...

That is how I purchased my clubs. Try before you buy. It is a amazing the difference between the clubs that you do not realize until you actually hit a ball with them.

Also, from what you mentioned above it sounds like the mid range and distance clubs are giving you some accuracy issues. This could very well be the loft or lie of the club or your grip/stance. Keep in mind that all clubs can have the loft or lie adjusted up to 1 degree off of standard I believe. So if it is determine you need .5 or 1 degree of adjustment you can have this done at a Golf Galaxy , Golfsmith, Edwin Watts or other repair facility for relatively cheap.

[Longrodder]

Anyone will bend FORGED irons. Some places won't even attempt it with cast irons.