Buying New Clubs-Help

[mikeallen]

Hi all,

I have taken up the game of golf again after 4 years off & have decided to treat myself to a new set of clubs. I gave my old ones to my father in law as he plays a lot more than me so hence the need for a new set.
Now I have decided to go for callaway big bertha irons & callaway 3 & 5 woods but cannot decide whether to purchase steel shafts or graphite in the woods & the irons.

My last set was callaway woods & irons in graphite & had no trouble hitting the ball. My handicap last time I played was 18 but I guess if honest it would be back upto 28 nowadays so I would like the forgiveness of the big berthas in order to hit my consistant shots both off tee & fairway.

As I live miles away from anywhere that does custom fitting I was wondering whether this is something else I should look into as my height is only 5' 5" but I have nowhere near that would advise on this & if buying clubs off the shelf would be suitable.

So, graphite or steel shafts?
Standard off the shelf clubs?

Any advise appreciated

Mike

 

[birdieman]

For woods get graphite shafts - you will hit it further cos they're lighter than steel. With irons most play steel because they are more consistent and that is vital to hitting each iron the same distance over and over. However you might play graphite shafted irons if you have a slow swing speed or have a late clubhead release with steel.
For your height you will need a flatter lie than standard - most manufacturers you will need to get fitted, however with Ping you can get fitted online by taking a few measurements yourself, of course for shaft flex you'll need to get swing speed measured unless you know it from before. Hope that helps. If you can afford brand new clubs I'd get fitted!

 

[mikeallen]

Thanks for the reply.

So, can I purchase a set off the shelf & then get them fitted or do they need to be adjusted before purchase?

Also, How can I gewt my swing speed measured?

Is american Golf centres any good for custom fitting? If I order on line & buy the callaway big bertha irons & woods that I am after, can I take these along with me to get fitted?
Just not sure how this custom fitting all works.

Mike

 

[birdieman]

I'd buy the clubs at a shop that has a custom fitting centre in the shop to get everytyhing sorted in one go including swing speed measurement.
Dont think American Golf do it but Neveada Bob's near me has one for example.
Have a rake about online, you'll find one near you.
If you do buy clubs before getting fitted I know you can get forged heads altered easily but with cast heads you may not - not 100% sure about this however.

 

[learnerdriver]

I was fitted for my Callaways and it was worth it. It didn't cost any more than just buying them from the shop, plus I was given the option of hitting lots of different makes to find which ones best suited my game. I'm sure that option was cheaper in the end than finding out that the clubs I bought weren't right later on and then having to change them.

 

[knottynoonoo]

Hi
Its it worth anything to you get them custom fitted no matter what your handicap. Graphite shafts wont necessarily help but if the clubs are fitted correctly, the pro will be able to tell you if you need them.Also with you height the shafts may need to be shorter not necessarily a flatter lie.
At the end of the day a full set of good clubs arn't cheap but its well worth spending the time to do it especially as most places dont charge if you are going to order. I was fitted two years ago for a set of Titleist irons at their head quarters at St Ives and I'm now thinking of a new driver and fairway woods but I wouldn't think of splashing that much of my hard earned cash without having them custom fitted.
Knottynoonoo

 

[damslice]

Do you live near a www.directgolf.co.uk store, pay them a visit before you spend any money, they will sort you out and you can try before you buy, on a driving range, and not just hit into a net like at AG and nev Bobs. i just got fitted and bought a set of cobra fp irons , and there fantastic clubs. recommend you give them a try if you get the chance.