Advice Please

[markwarne]

Hi,

Am new to this site, so a big hello to all out there.

I am wondering if anybody can help me out with some advice. I am in the market for a new set of Irons, largely to help me improve my game as opposed to looking good in the bag. I have looked at the usual sites including Golfbidder, Nevada's, etc. Obviously the only way to assess the best clubs for you is to go out and hit some balls with your potential purchases. Which I did. My shortlist was:

Ping G10
Callaway Big Bertha 2006 / 08
Taylor Made RAC.

The manager at my local Amercian Golf also thrust the new Nicklaus Polarity MTR in my hand, which it turns out I hit the best in terms of distance and direction. This kind of threw my options out of the window, as I was thoroughly expecting to go for one of the "bigger branded" makes.

Ignoring the fact that I hit these the best and hence should go for these, does anybody else have any experience with these relatively new clubs? The plus point for me also is that they come with 2 hybrids instead of a 2 & 3 iron which seems to make perfect sense to me.

Any advice / comments would be most helpful to a confused purchaser.

Thanks

 

[GB72]

Hi and welcome to the site.

I am a recent convert to using the lesser known brands in golf as I too have found that they suit my game just as well as the bigger brands but at less than half the price. At the end of the day, if you hit the Nicklaus irons well then they are the set for you. I started out with Wilson Staff Di irons but preferred by Orka set, had both a Taylormade Burner and an R7460 driver and ditched them for the Orka, had a Ping UGLE putter and changed that for a Benross VMC. I too thought I would end up with a bag full of top branded kit and look what happened. If you get a chance to try any of the MD Golf irons (and I know not all AG Stock them) give them a try as well as you will be surprised at the quality.

 

[Toad]

Mark, first of all welcome to the forum, as for iron's mate go with what feels best to you not just what name is on them it is very much a personal choice.

I have recently bought Mizuno MX25's and would say they were worth a look, pro says it's a good club for all handicaps and that some of the seniour tour players are using them this year.

 

[billyg]

Welcome MW.

Don't know much abut the Nicklaus clubs i'm afraid. Ive been here for a while and have not seen them mentioned. I do however know that youve managed to tick some of the most hotly contested issues with your simple and honest request

Form against function- check

Golfbidder- check

How to test clubs - check

American Golf - check

American Gold 'managers' - check

Buying a joblot set of clubs rather than building a set - check

I'm honestly not sure how much you will glean from the responses that may follow as they are moot points and the cause of much derision in times past.Would humbly suggest you use the search facility to interrogate the backlog of topics on each of these issues indiviually. It will take some time but be worth it.

Can I ask what kind of budget you have for the whole kit including putter and bag?

Ive got at least 4/1 someone blows a gasket over this thread at some point.

 

[pjaz]

This is a toughie, and you'll get lots of advice/opinion here.

I'm a big fan of hybrid sets as they suit my game so can see the appeal. Two things came to mind -

- were you warmed up/more confident from using the other clubs by the time you got to the Nicklaus clubs? This could have affected your rating - I'm not at my best when being 'observed' while demoing new clubs;

- the Nicklaus clubs may suit your game now but will they in 18-24 months when you would expect your game to have developed to the next level or two?

Good luck.

 

[Mr_Top_Shot]

Welcome,

I play with a full set of Nicklaus CD2 irons, with matching 3 + 4 Utility, 3 wood and driver. I tried a number of clubs in my budget at AG and got on best with them. I have continued to get on well with them and really rate them.

You should definately go with what feels best.

 

[markwarne]

Toad / GB72

Thanks for your responses.

I totally agree with both your comments. Its seems so obvious that you go with what it you hit best, as oppose to what looks good in your bag.

I think - as with most things - when you are thinking about spending this kind of money, you like as much homework done as possible, and I have yet to see one review of these clubs, whereas on sites like Golfbidder for example, you see that every club on the market is the best that anybody has ever hit, etc etc. But as you say, its what suits the individual and these seem to suit me well.

On the same thread, I am also looking at a Fisher putter. I have to say that compared to my current face milled stainless steel Ben Sayers, this delivered a superb feel. Anybody tried one. Again, a less known brand (certainly one I had not heard of), but I can imagine with a bit of practice, the results will be hopefully great.

 

[GB72]

Never tried a Fisher putter but the £100 they cost leaves you with plenty of good options in that price range. If it feels good then go for it but I am of the opinion that you can never try too many putters before making that choice. The problem with AG is that you can only try on their little synthetic green that offers no real comparison to grass (in fact I am sure that the one in my local store is angled towards the hole). In this instance I would say get down to the pro shop and get some out on the practice green.

 

[markwarne]

My budget for the clubs is 500, which American Golf would discount. Putter will be bought with some kindly donated Am Golf vouchers I got for Christmas. Already have the bag.

The price of the MTR is the same as G10 and, at the risk of provoking a response from any member who thinks my comments futile, I would have expected to have heard of the MTR's in the same breath as Ping for that kind of money.

At the same time, price is not everything and I may pick up a Golf World / Today's Golfer / Golf Punk in 3 months time and find these are the hottest new clubs out there.

As I say, its a homework (both practical and reading assignment) thing and I am trying to exhaust every avenue before parting with my hard earned cash.

 

[billyg]

My budget for the clubs is 500, which American Golf would discount. Putter will be bought with some kindly donated Am Golf vouchers I got for Christmas. Already have the bag.

The price of the MTR is the same as G10 and, at the risk of provoking a response from any member who thinks my comments futile, I would have expected to have heard of the MTR's in the same breath as Ping for that kind of money.

At the same time, price is not everything and I may pick up a Golf World / Today's Golfer / Golf Punk in 3 months time and find these are the hottest new clubs out there.

As I say, its a homework (both practical and reading assignment) thing and I am trying to exhaust every avenue before parting with my hard earned cash.

FWIW it sounds as though you're going about it the right way. Do you have any clubs already? reason I ask is that if you're looking for a full set of irons as well as woods you may be struggling to get them all for £500.

If you have back up gear I might be inclined to concentrate on woods or irons only and then make the other half up later when funds permit.

It could be that you try 15 different clubs and find the ones that suit aren't premium price in which case you can carve it up differently. Whatever you do, make sure you hit as many sets as you can. It takes five minutes to hand over the cash but 1000's of miles trudging round golf courses to realise you wish you had researched more widely.

If the guy in the shop won't indulge you in this range of testing - move on (obviously not on a saturday afternoon in May).

Im probably going to get myself banned from the site for this but it would be remiss of me not to mention it....














have you considered the possibilites that having your clubs adjusted to bespoke measurements might offer? (I didn't say it- I really didn't)

 

[birdieman]

Don't go with the Nicklaus clubs - you will regret it.
Scenario - you've had the clubs a couple of months, you're out playing in the monthly medal and you're having a 'bad day at the office' the irons are all over the shop and that nice swing you found at the range the day you tried them out is ancient history!
On top of this your two playing partners, both kitted out with shiny Callaway and Taylor made irons, are hitting it beautifully and making you look like a mug.
It is then that you will realise what a fool you'd been to invest in such cheapo kit and to top it all off when you go to get a trade-in on your Nicklaus clubs you'll probably have to pay the pro shop to take them off your hands, the depreciation is that bad!
Golf is in the head, if you don't believe you are geared up with very good kit you'll play pish.
Don't be a tight arse, pay for some decent irons and avoid Howson, Nicklaus, Slazenger, Maxfli etc etc at all costs!
Don't say I didn't warn you!




...cat amongst pigeons!!

 

[markwarne]

Hi Birdieman

Thanks for your post. As i mentioned earlier, the Nicklaus clubs are a quid short of 500. The same as the G10 and Callaway BB. They are not in the Golden Bear range.

Whilst I accept what you say about the resale value (a point that my local pro also made incidently), I cannot see me changing my clubs at the drop of a hat. God knows, I have had so many bad rounds with my current Top Flite Tours (shows you how often I do change) that I am more of the opinion that it is the workman rather than the tools that makes your round a bad one. Sure good tools do help and for 500 quid, I would expect to be getting a good bit of kit?

 

[Mr_Top_Shot]

a little harsh on the Nicklaus clubs don't you think? i have used mine for a while now and am very happy with them.

Why would the Pro in AG recommend they are good clubs along with the others the guy had tried if they were s**t?

The MTR as MW mentioned cost around the same as G10's so has nothing to do with cost.

If you want to be a sucker for brands then fair enough.

As i said above i think you need to be very open minded, as you seem to be and do what you feel will be best for you in the end

 

[markwarne]

Billy G,

Yeah I have some clubs already.

Driver is Callaway FT5
3 / 5 Woods Callaway Steel Heads
Nicklaus 4i Hybrid
Top Flite Tour 3-SW
Ben Sayers putter

I suspect I will go back to AG and try clubs again before I take the plunge. As someone stated, when you have the manager behind you watching every shot, its hardly a relaxed atmosphere to max your efforts. They know that I will buy from them, so you are absolutely right - they should indulge me a little.

Custom fitting - now there is a different ball game!

 

[birdieman]

Maybe they are good clubs, usually when cheaper brands try and go upmarket they fail, the mud sticks I suppose. I read their website, sounds like the usual technobabble to me. Not keen on the cheap brands generally - common problems are often grip quality, poor groove technology, shaft flex too soft, cheap materials etc.
Maybe Nickluas are different. Are there any tour pros anywhere endorsing their gear do you know?
Hope they go well for you though nonetheless.

 

[happyhacker]

Hi MW,

Welcome to the site. I think others have hit nail on head already that the sensible move is to go with whatever clubs you hit best. Be that one of the current ones you've tried or a future set you try before spending your hard earned cash.

On your last point, I certainly would've thought the Nicklaus clubs would have been quite a bit cheaper than the Ping G10s. As a footnote I have the G10 irons 4-SW and love them.

 

[markwarne]

This is my whole problem.

Either the kit is too new for anybody to have endorsed / reviewed it or it is not popular due to the brand. Hence the post. Completely accept yur points about what could be issues with the clubs, and the manufacturers literature is the usual "most forgiving club ever made / released to market, etc" blurb.

I will be making AG work for my dough and trying more clubs before splashing out.

 

[bunkered]

Birdieman, i was in auchterlonies yesterday in st andrews and they are selling nicklaus gear, it cant be that bad, they just dont sell [****] gear.

 

[bunkered]

Mark, why dont you try local proshops for secondhand gear, i got a set of cally x18, cally fusion ft3 driver, titleist spin milled sand wedge, all for £340.

 

[Parmo]

Try out the Mizuno MX19s, I have just bought a set and they are great, very forgiving and not too much to slow your progress down. Also they are half the price of G10s.