Following a brief 30 year break...

[Burning Spear]

I'm coming back to golf after a LONG break, having played as a teenager (played off 17). I'm 60 now and having played once or twice a year recently I'm glad to say the swing is still there but obviously I'm rusty as hell. My question is this: should I automatically ditch my old clubs (Wilson/Nick Faldo irons, small-head woods and Ping Anser) in favour of modern clubs? I don't really want to - I love old school stuff (still collect vinyl etc). But some would have me believe it's a whole new game and better kit is essential. I'm sceptical - what do you lot think?

 

[jim8flog]

There is one person here who will say keep them

I say keep the putter and ditch the rest if you are seriously going to be playing a lot, if you want to make the game easier.

Modern 'woods' in particular are way ahead of the technology of 30 years ago.

It is highly likely that your woods have steel shafts and nobody sells woods with steel shafts any more.

 

[fundy]

Welcome

Depends what you want from playing, personally wouldnt rush to change, can always do so down the line if you want newer shinier clubs

Some prefer the older ones, especially Crow on here

https://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/threads/vintage-golf.93646/

 

[Crow]

Guilty as charged, I'd say keep them.

If you like old school stuff then you can have a lot of fun playing old school clubs but as has been said above, it really depends on what you want to get out of the game. If you want to get your handicap as low as possible then modern clubs will get you lower than old school, but only by two or three shots.

If you're more interested in the possible fun from playing vintage then read on.

I think you're Wilson Nick Faldo irons are a deep cavity back anyway so pretty forgiving to begin with.

The beauty of the handicapping system is that you can still compete with old clubs, if you play old clubs (and only old clubs) in handicap qualifying competitions then your handicap will reflect the distances and shots you play with those clubs and so you'll be able to compete on a level playing field with anyone else who has a handicap, whatever clubs they use. (I hope I've explained that, it's one of the things I find people sometimes struggle to get their heads round.)

I'm almost exactly the same age as you and after a short period of adjustment from my modern clubs I've never felt disadvantaged by playing old school, and the upside is that it's much more fun, in my eyes at least!

There's a small but slowly growing group of vintage club players in the UK and we meet a few times a year to enjoy playing the old school classics together and admire what's in each others bags.

Now is a great time to play vintage/classic clubs as club prices are rock bottom, you can pick up superb pieces of craftsmanship for prices that are so low they're obscene, in fact many clubs are just being dumped.

It's become a bit of a passion for me and I've added other bits and pieces like old head covers, old trolleys, etc. Even playing old balls occasionally. Below is from a meet earlier this year; Bag Boy Aluminium trolley, Wilson bag, various woods, JH Onions irons, Bronty putter, don't look at the cap, not sure how that got in there!

 

[Bigfoot]

Take your time and use the old clubs until you feel the need to change. Take the opportunity to test clubs on demo days until you are sure what you will need when the time comes.

 

[IanM]

I would have thought Crow wouldn't touch 30 year old clubs as they are too new?

 

[Blue in Munich]

I'm coming back to golf after a LONG break, having played as a teenager (played off 17). I'm 60 now and having played once or twice a year recently I'm glad to say the swing is still there but obviously I'm rusty as hell. My question is this: should I automatically ditch my old clubs (Wilson/Nick Faldo irons, small-head woods and Ping Anser) in favour of modern clubs? I don't really want to - I love old school stuff (still collect vinyl etc). But some would have me believe it's a whole new game and better kit is essential. I'm sceptical - what do you lot think?

Welcome back. You're playing for pleasure I presume so if you enjoy your old school stuff stick with it. I might consider a re-grip after that period though...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you're happy playing the old school gear then crack on. If you decide to upgrade plenty of second hand deals around. I'd definitely keep using the Anser though

 

[chrisd]

Get new clubs - you only live once 😁😁

 

[Maninblack4612]

I can't understand these people advising the OP to make the game harder by using seriously outdated equipment. For a couple of hundred pounds you can get some used modern clubs which will be so much easier to hit & produce much more distance. If the clubs need regripping, that's half the cost of buying some new, second hand, clubs.

 

[Crow]

I can't understand these people advising the OP to make the game harder by using seriously outdated equipment. For a couple of hundred pounds you can get some used modern clubs which will be so much easier to hit & produce much more distance. If the clubs need regripping, that's half the cost of buying some new, second hand, clubs.

And I can't understand why so many seem to want to make the game easier through buying new high tech equipment.

Golf is supposed to be a challenge. If a driver came out that guaranteed you could hit it 325 yards in the middle of the fairway, every time, no matter what swing you put on it, would you buy it?

Each to their own I guess.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Get out there, enjoy.

Have a few games and see how it takes you, if you wish to continue, then some replacement 'woods' I would suggest.

 

[Maninblack4612]

And I can't understand why so many seem to want to make the game easier through buying new high tech equipment.

Golf is supposed to be a challenge. If a driver came out that guaranteed you could hit it 325 yards in the middle of the fairway, every time, no matter what swing you put on it, would you buy it?

Each to their own I guess.

You'd feel obliged to if you wanted to remain competitive. That's why it's important that the R & A / PGA have taken steps, far to late unfortunately, to limit the performance of drivers, balls etc. I enjoy a challenge but get much more enjoyment from my current clubs, which are so easy to hit. The challenge comes from overcoming my own limitations. I love competitive golf but wouldn't want to compete at a disadvantage. To each his own, you say, but I just cannot fathom why someone who is not an elite player would want to make the game more difficult & less enjoyable.

 

[Swango1980]

If you want to be the talk of the golf club and make a name for yourself then play with the old clubs.

If you want to score as well as you can, and get your handicap down, new clubs is the way to go. Technology has moved on a million miles since your old clubs were made, and there is a reason for that. Golf club manufacturers certainly haven't invested all that money to make their clubs hit it shorter and less accurately after all.

You don't need to buy brand spanking new clubs from a top brand. That's expensive. I'm sure you can get models a few years old, second hand, that will work just as well as the brand new ones. Golfbidder.com is a very good site to get second hand clubs from a trustworthy source. Could go on ebay I guess as well, although I've personally stayed away from ebay after I bought a Callaway Driver years ago and it never arrived.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'd just get going again with your current bats - though I'd probably pick up an inexpensive metal 'wood' or two - and you'll get a feel for how seriously you want to take it. I'd be wanting to be able to get off the tee reasonably well from just abut the word go. The rest of my game - well I'd see. But get the ball onto the fairway - or thereabouts - and get scoring and enjoying the game. Long time out and old-fashioned woods might not be so helpful on that front.

 

[Grant85]

Much like most have said, I'd def be changing the woods and irons.

Technology has changed immensely and even a low cost second hand set from 4 or 5 years ago will be far easier to get into the air and should allow you to play better.

But a bit like you I love the look of vintage stuff, but I accept I'm not going to play with old blades and persimmon woods. But you can still get a vintage feel to things with an old style bag and some old pom pom head covers.

 

[Crow]

You'd feel obliged to if you wanted to remain competitive. That's why it's important that the R & A / PGA have taken steps, far to late unfortunately, to limit the performance of drivers, balls etc. I enjoy a challenge but get much more enjoyment from my current clubs, which are so easy to hit. The challenge comes from overcoming my own limitations. I love competitive golf but wouldn't want to compete at a disadvantage. To each his own, you say, but I just cannot fathom why someone who is not an elite player would want to make the game more difficult & less enjoyable.

But as I said earlier, the handicap system allows you to be competitive whatever gear you decide to play with, as long as you're honest enough to only play that stuff in competition.

If you're playing scratch golf then yes I agree, you need every bit of help that the next guy has.

As for the enjoyment angle, personally I get far more enjoyment from playing clubs where I feel my input to the shot impacts more than the club makers input, but as I said, each to their own.

 

[Crow]

Threads like this depress me, people have been so suckered into the marketing guff that they feel they have to buy the latest gizmo to enjoy the game or be competitive.

 

[RangeMonkey]

Threads like this depress me, people have been so suckered into the marketing guff that they feel they have to buy the latest gizmo to enjoy the game or be competitive.

That’s not just golf, that’s everything in our consumption driven society.

 

[Swango1980]

Threads like this depress me, people have been so suckered into the marketing guff that they feel they have to buy the latest gizmo to enjoy the game or be competitive.

I'd agree with that point if the thread was along the lines of "I bought a new set of clubs 2 years ago, but PING have just brought out their latest model. Should I buy these, as they say they are longer and straighter than ever? I think I will"

However, the post is more along the lines of "should I use my 40 year old clubs, or buy a set that would be a bit more up to date". That is definitely a fair question, and the answers have seemed pretty fair also. Yes, if you stick with the old clubs, the handicap will take that all into account and you'll still be competitive. However, what we all want as golfers (most of us anyway), is not just be competitive, but to try and fulfil our potential. Get that handicap as low as we can. That will never happen if you use clubs that are 40 years old, the difference between those and clubs now is night and day.

Anyway, I don't think the general advice has been to use the latest gizmo. The advice has been to replace the clubs but to take a more gradual approach, and no need to go brand new. Sounds sensible to me.