Advice on Club Set up and playing for a newish player

[craigstardis1976]

Hi There!

I have been playing about a year and with lessons and the starter set I got have got down to a 17.6 USGA Handicap. (I am a Brit but live in Colorado)

I have just upgraded to some use "pro-line" clubs from the Walmart set I had before and wondered if any of the forum posters had any thoughts on the set up or improvements I could make to them?

I did consult with the LPGA Pro I have been getting lessons from but she is not in the club selling business so I headed to the local PGA Tour Superstore and got the following:

Taylor Made Jetspeed 3 Wood R Flex Graphite. (I can hit a driver but not awfully well and I have learned being in the fairway is a big bonus!) $60

Taylor Made Jetspeed 7 Wood R Flex Graphite. Has 23 degrees of loft. (Cannot yet a five wood up in the air consistently) $50

Tommy Armour Silver Scot 845 Irons 4,5,6,7,8,9,PW R Flex steel shafts. (Felt nice and were only $60)

Cleveland 588 56 and 60 degree Wedges. (Very rusty looking and on the advice of my LPGA Pro has the 56 bent to 54 degrees.) $40 for the pair

Ping Zing Putter. $20

Used Ping Hoofer 2 Stand Bag. $30

So for $310 (with new grips) I got a set of clubs that I think are serviceable.

I play golf at 6000-7000 feet above sea level and my 6 Iron goes about 160 yards and a well caught 3 wood about 225-235 off the tee.

My main goal is to get to a single figure handicap but for this season a reduction down to 12 would make me very happy.

I have a good short game but only hit 4-6 GIR and on the course if I could keep the couple of double bogies off the card I think I could shoot 84-86 pretty regularly.

I have a lesson a month and we usually work on developing short game shots. The two I am working on at the moment are dead hands and arms pitch shot with a sand wedge and learning to judge the roll and a standard bunker shot.

My iron play often is inaccurate but I am working on a pre-shot routine to make sure I am lined up properly. My misses tend to either be a slight pull or shot that starts to the right bends dramatically to the left and barely gets in the air.

My good shots start slightly right and then bend but not to the left as much as just to the left as to end up straight.

If anyone has any thoughts if this set make up could get me down to twelve or other set up's or clubs to consider I would appreciate the input.

Also any advice on practicing and playing the game to help me would be appreciated as well.

Thank you.

 

[walliams8]

Hi There!

I have been playing about a year and with lessons and the starter set I got have got down to a 17.6 USGA Handicap. (I am a Brit but live in Colorado)

I have just upgraded to some use "pro-line" clubs from the Walmart set I had before and wondered if any of the forum posters had any thoughts on the set up or improvements I could make to them?

I did consult with the LPGA Pro I have been getting lessons from but she is not in the club selling business so I headed to the local PGA Tour Superstore and got the following:

Taylor Made Jetspeed 3 Wood R Flex Graphite. (I can hit a driver but not awfully well and I have learned being in the fairway is a big bonus!) $60

Taylor Made Jetspeed 7 Wood R Flex Graphite. Has 23 degrees of loft. (Cannot yet a five wood up in the air consistently) $50

Tommy Armour Silver Scot 845 Irons 4,5,6,7,8,9,PW R Flex steel shafts. (Felt nice and were only $60)

Cleveland 588 56 and 60 degree Wedges. (Very rusty looking and on the advice of my LPGA Pro has the 56 bent to 54 degrees.) $40 for the pair

Ping Zing Putter. $20

Used Ping Hoofer 2 Stand Bag. $30

So for $310 (with new grips) I got a set of clubs that I think are serviceable.

I play golf at 6000-7000 feet above sea level and my 6 Iron goes about 160 yards and a well caught 3 wood about 225-235 off the tee.

My main goal is to get to a single figure handicap but for this season a reduction down to 12 would make me very happy.

I have a good short game but only hit 4-6 GIR and on the course if I could keep the couple of double bogies off the card I think I could shoot 84-86 pretty regularly.

I have a lesson a month and we usually work on developing short game shots. The two I am working on at the moment are dead hands and arms pitch shot with a sand wedge and learning to judge the roll and a standard bunker shot.

My iron play often is inaccurate but I am working on a pre-shot routine to make sure I am lined up properly. My misses tend to either be a slight pull or shot that starts to the right bends dramatically to the left and barely gets in the air.

My good shots start slightly right and then bend but not to the left as much as just to the left as to end up straight.

If anyone has any thoughts if this set make up could get me down to twelve or other set up's or clubs to consider I would appreciate the input.

Also any advice on practicing and playing the game to help me would be appreciated as well.

Thank you.

4-6 greens in regulation ...... I had a similar stat not so long back . I hit 100 balls on the range 3 times a week and all I took with me was a 7 iron and a 5 iron . I did it for about a month in between lessons where we just worked on iron play . Since then my game has been transformed and I know from the middle of the fairway I fancy my chances .

Practice your weak points !

 

[fundy]

At some point you might want to add a wedge between your PW and your 56 degree, thats a pretty big gap you have there, otherwise if the clubs work for you then should be fine

 

[Region3]

Welcome. Sounds like a decent set of clubs you have there and a very good attitude.

It's a good goal to eliminate doubles, but don't get hung up on it. More often than not I still have a double on the card.
Eliminate the stupid ones is a better goal IMO, because sometimes even a double can be a good score.

No doubt with your lessons the pro will try to iron out any big faults. That and keep practicing the short game can easily get you to your target.

Even if you don't make any birdies, make 5 pars from your 6 GIR, get up and down 1 in 3 from your missed greens and you've played to 9.

 

[Region3]

At some point you might want to add a wedge between your PW and your 56 degree, thats a pretty big gap you have there, otherwise if the clubs work for you then should be fine

I don't know if I misread the post, but I took it that the 56 had been bent to 54, and tinterweb says the PW is 47.

A bit of a gap, but nothing that needs urgently filling, only IMO of course.

 

[fundy]

I don't know if I misread the post, but I took it that the 56 had been bent to 54, and tinterweb says the PW is 47.

A bit of a gap, but nothing that needs urgently filling, only IMO of course.

missed the bending part!!! 7 degrees still a pretty big gap (almost 2 clubs worth)

 

[Region3]

missed the bending part!!! 7 degrees still a pretty big gap (almost 2 clubs worth)

Agreed, but 46 to 52 isn't uncommon. Plenty of good players use that set up.

I go 46 to 50. :rofl:

 

[Region3]

missed the bending part!!! 7 degrees still a pretty big gap (almost 2 clubs worth)

P.S. The putter is good, you should try one if you like face balanced

 

[fundy]

P.S. The putter is good, you should try one if you like face balanced

Ill wait for you to fall out of love with yours, shouldnt take too long

 

[Face breaker]

I've got two age old adages for you "it ain't what you've got its the way you use it that counts" and the other is "all the gear but no idea" basically the best clubs in the world won't automatically make you the best golfer in the world if you don't know how to use them properly but a "well set up" set (even cheap ones) will certainly help you along the way, I'm a Greenkeeper by trade and I've seen some top class golfers using the biggest pile of rusty pooh you could ever have seen but they know how to use them and use them well !...:thup:

 

[craigstardis1976]

Thanks for all the great replies, guys!

My PW is actually 48 degrees, so it is a 6 degree gap to the Sand Wedge. My LPGA teaching pro introduced me to the lob wedge and I took to it really well and just knew I had to get one for myself.

Walliams8: That is a pretty impressive practice routine. One of the few things I have found is I learn a lot more by hitting say twenty balls and taking my time on each one when I am practicing. My pro gave me a notebook to keep. Basically, try to put into words what I think feels right on a good shot, swing thoughts, if you will. I have found it really helpful.

Region3: It is interesting you mention not to get hung up on the odd double bogey. I have holes where i already "know" I will score well on but the doubles do not come on any certain holes nor (usually) for me making bad mental errors but just from bad swings (like the right to left ones I mentioned earlier)

A couple more questions I have if anyone cares to have a crack.

1. Does anyone see it as a handicap not to have a driver at least at hand if I really want to improve? I am conscious of the fact it seems like all good players use one. Am I fooling myself in thinking I can get to single figures without one?

2. So far I have not been able to find a regular group. People here are very cliquish it seems. Is this something worth talking to the club pro or club manager about that I would like to meet people? I even put my name on the list for a tournament and no-one paired with me!

Thanks

 

[ruff-driver]

Howdy, has your pro watched you hitting your current setup ?
The hooky irons could be a lie issue .
Leave the driver at home and find a soulmate within the 3 - 7 woods, better to be in the fairway than in the cack.
Maybe take the long irons from the bag and play the par 4's like 5's,
Smooth wood off the tee, say 200 left , easy 7 followed by an easy wedge, 5 net 4.

Re playing partners, i'm sure your pro will find someone to pair you, it's like moving schools as a kid, nobody speaks to you for a while then soon your all bff's,

Anyway as tough as it i am prepared to leave my wife & kids and move to the U.S to play golf with you,
just checking flights now