Advice on clubs for a beginer....

[4bp]

Hi
i have recently started to play golf and absolutely loving it! i have decided its time to buy a full set of clubs as what i have been using was just a random selection of cheapies.
i have seen these 2 package sets advertised and have no idea which is better.
please could someone offer advice which one i should go for...or suggest another set i should get instead.

founders club package set

or

ram package set

thanks for the help/advice i am most grateful

 

[USER1999]

I wouldn't recommend a packaged set. They are built to a very low budget, and you will very quickly feel the need to upgrade. I know it looks tempting, but if you are planning on playing for the long term, a second hand set of quality irons would be a better bet, supplemented by a decent 2nd hand 5 wood and putter.

 

[viscount17]

I had a set of these,
http://www.golf-direct.co.uk/ben-sayers-m7-fire-ice-package-set-i1667.html

american golf are selling these at £229, so you could try them there and check out their price match (on-line golf is £159).
imo, the irons are good, the putter is what you would expect from a package. for me the shafts in the woods were a bit too flexible, more senior than regular. but the same may be true for all these sets.

have you tried the one's you quote at DG?

better still is buy separates if you can. do you need a complete set? AG seem to have some offers on irons at the moment - not sure which as I'm happy with mine. (and if AG has a deal on then DG won't be far behind!)

 

[Midnight]

Hi,

I have to agree, it is best to get a decent 2nd hand set , or depending on budget, you could look to get fitted for some. If these are going to be something you get a lot of use out of, it is worth getting a half decent set, there are also loads of bargins out there.
If unsure then ask people on this forum for there advice on what to have a look at at. You will recieve loads of good advice.

Cheers and welcome.

Midnight...

 

[Cernunnos]

If you buy a package set, chances are in another few months you'll be wanting to upgrade again.

Some package sets have reasonable irons included but rarely have woods or a putter worth a damn.

Get properly fitted & or go to your local golf pro & get some advice or help choosing a set from him/her.

 

[4bp]

thanks for the replies.
i havent tried these yet, was going tonight to try them out.

the ben sayers were another i was going to look at. is there much differnece between the 3 packages?

if i were to buy a second hand set of quality irons what should i go for? and where do i find 2nd hand sets?
thanks again

 

[viscount17]

I can't say if there's a difference as I didn't try either one. I don't know the quality of founders club, it seems to be DG 'own brand'.

ag and dg will both have secondhand irons - try but don't buy unless you can get advice as to suitability and condition.

 

[forefortheday]

Keep banging on about them like some kind of evanagalist but AG are doing Mizuno MX17's for £170. Get yourself a 2nd hand wood/driver and a putter (AG do them as well) you probably spend about £220 for the lot.

Wouldn't buy a package set as they tend to be poorer quality shafts and grips r=then a full set of irons imo.

 

[USER1999]

You can't go wrong with the Mizunos at that price.

Pick up a 2nd hand wood (suggest not a driver if you are an out and out beginner) from golfbidder.co.uk, and may be a putter (recommend an odyssey 2 ball), and you are away. Plus get a bag from ebay.

Beware of buying clubs from ebay unless you know what you are doing.

 

[Parmo]

You can pick up some decent second hand irons from EBay, your local pro or AG, I wouldnt bother with getting anything fitted until you have a consistant swing, maybe the set after these ones. I would stay clear of thw package sets, the irons are ok but the rest are pretty crap, I saw some Callaway X16s in my local pro shop for £120 but keep an eye on EBay as most people sell their old gear on there.

 

[RGuk]

I keep a keen eye on 2nd hand stuff and t.b.h. you could pick up a quality set of irons for £100, a fairway or two for £60 and a new-ish driver for not a great deal.
Find a good range shop or check out American golf shops....

I can't speak for all ranges, but if you went to mine or a similar one, chose some irons (hopefully recommended) and a wood or two + putter, chances are the pro would roll up a selection to suit your price. When I first went an bought a decent set I chose some Mizuno irons £125 and 3 woods £40 each, and he did it for £200 with a half decent putter....depends on what they want to get shot of. Good kit is good kit.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[billyg]

Just to add my own voice to those against a package set.

My other half was in the same position two years ago and opted for a Wilson package against my advice.

At about £250 all in I suppose it doesn't appear a bad deal at face value. You get a stand bag with rain cover, a driver, 3 wood, 4H and 5- SW and of course a putter. The bag is poor quality and worth about a tenner retail, the putter is available from Argos for about £20. The driver is pretty awful, tinny and all of the woods started to show signs of 'combat fatigue' from the first round.

The leading edges of the irons are really quite brutal in their design and offer little room for error when trying to make a clean contact on anything other than a perfect fluffy sitter mid-fairway.

If they have a sweet spot - I can't find it (but that's not saying much TBH).

With hindsight I would sincerely suggest giving them a miss as they won't be worth the cupboard space you need to house them if you give up golf when the temperature drops .

If you play on, you may find yourself looking with envy and at all the shiny steel and graphite laid out before you as you head to the counter to buy your range ball counters. A quality second hand set or perhaps a half set (alternate numbers e.g. 5, 7,9, SW or 4,6,8,PW) might stave off the urge to re-mortgage the cat and children for a year or so.

Worth remembering winter is not far away and if you want to spend much of the year playing in Britain you'll need to think very carefully about if you want to be trudging in the cold,wind and rain for roughly 8 months a year - and here's the bad news- the golf bug will coerce you into playing in weather you wouldn't go down to the paper shop for a pint of milk in (you have been warned) That dusty old 'pack-a-mac' under the stairs is fine for a two minute shower but not much more.

I don't really have an encyclopaedic knowledge of past model's and like fine vintage wines many manufacturers have good 'crops' and bad. Therefore I would stick with something along the lines of a set of Ping G2's or G5's which have a proven provenence and from which the likes of the current Rapture and G10 series are derived. Not sure about G5's but my local driving range is selling off old G2's for about £7 a stick. Get the shafts checked, some fresh grips and away you go. Save CFing until you've had some lessons and found your own swing style but the beauty is that at that point if your still happy with them chances are that can easily be done to a quality set. Not so with a composite alloy set (as I found out with my own first package set - yes, guilty as charged- some Spalding 'Heat' clubs)

I used a secondhand early 90's Ping putter until recently but couldn't recommend it nowadays but at a push why not?(the exception being if you turn it over in the shop and it has 'property of ----ville crazy golf pavilion' etched on the bottom). There's so many good putters out there for £50 to £100 fully fitted it just doesn't make sense. A putter choice is deeply personal and there are many perfectly sane, intelligent and experienced golfers out there playing with what looks like the reincarnation of a Spode dinner plate on a stick and there must be a reason right? The reason is that the chioce of a putter is deeply personal- no more no less.

If you give the game up then you'll be able to get a return of some sort on it by selling it someone on here, e-bay or the usual channels. Same with the Ping's/ A.N other quality secondhand set- they're worth something to someone.

The Mrs.'s Wilson package set - err - down to the charity shop in the end no doubt....as was the fate of the Spaldings .

IMHO - cheap bag, trolley, shoes,'brolly, trews, polo's and even golf balls to start are fine in my book.Combine that with decent secondhand good quality sticks from any of the makers you'll find advertising in a copy of GM and your laughing.

Don't get me wrong - good quality golf accessories are nice once the bug has you by the short and curlies but won't help you down the road to addiction half as fast as the feel of a nice, pre-loved set of quality irons.

I would guess if you follow the advice from the other posters on here you'll have the full kit and caboodle(including the above ancilliaries) for £150 - £250 complete.






about the same as a shiny new package set

have fun and don't be a stranger to the forum- the tribulations of an expensive, time consuming widow/widower maker of an addiction such as golf is always best dealt with in a group as I'm sure most of us will testify.

Bill

 

[RGuk]

Well done Billy......now that's a genuine post passing on the value of experience.

I had a look at the Ram set....and I can't see any mileage in a set like this. It's the same with cars, if you are strapped for budget and considering a brand new car (think.....rover city rover, kia, hyundai) it's a no-brainer to consider a 2 yr old quality motor.

The amazing thing is that IF you really tried hard, you could kit yourself out for even less then £150. I (and no doubt loads of folk on this forum) have got a stack of old stuff "retired" to the shed.

A new forumer could do a lot worse than look in the local rag and ask here if "x" clubs from "y" manufacturer are worth a punt at "z" amount. I see full sets of irons for £40 (decent stuff) matching wood sets for £20 and endless bags and trolleys etc. I could/would pass on old Callaway bertha woods, an MD rescue, a Zebra putter, spare bag (no.3!) for £30 any day!!

 

[theeaglehunter]

Check out the forum for sale section I am sure there will still be some good quality clubs hanging around waiting to be purchased. Other than that there is little else to say- once again the guys have thoroughly covered the subject and given a clear message- 2nd hand yet reputable branded clubs are the way to go as opposed to the cheap package sets.

 

[4bp]

WOW! thanks everyone for your replies - really appreciate the advice.

i am def gonna stay clear of the package sets and have been recommended by a friend to try and pick up a second hand set of callaway X series irons, or Ping G5s or Taylor Made HTs. so i am gonna start hunting around for a set of these...
thanks again for the help and i am sure i will be back with more questions in the near future!

 

[RGuk]

If you let us know your locality (not your postcode or anything!!!) you might find some local forumers who might meet you at a range. In Birmingham, a lot of clubs got passed on to new members/mates of mates after a range session.

 

[4bp]

i am in hertfordshire.
apart from golfbidder any good places to find 2nd hand clubs online?

 

[4bp]

me again...
found the below on ebay...just wondered if anyone had any advice on if they are good deals and which would u suggest i go for...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIZUNO-T-ZOID-IRON...86.c0.m14.l1318

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIZUNO-MX15-IRONS_...86.c0.m14.l1318

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Iron-Set-X-20-3-PW...86.c0.m14.l1308

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CALLAWAY-X12-IRONS...86.c0.m14.l1318

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mizuno-MX-17-Irons...86.c0.m14.l1318

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Taylor-Made-RAC-HT...86.c0.m14.l1318

thanks

 

[Sneds]

There are a few guys here from Hertfordshire. I'm from WGC personally, but I'm in the same boat as you atm - starting out. So I don't think I can be of much assistance!

 

[HartleyHare]

I know Benross were doing an offer on the Velo-CT driver, you get a free putter with it (saw this a week after i bought one of the drivers!!!).

it's a v good driver and the putter is meant to be pretty good too.