Following a brief 30 year break...

[williamalex1]

Welcome to the forum BS, your putter and irons should do till you really get back into it. I would just buy a modern 2nd hand driver and 3 wood.
I only updated my 35 year old Wilson X31 irons 4 years ago, I was fitted for a new set of Srixon Z155 , and to be honest i haven't found much difference between them and my old Wilsons.

Better paying maybe £25 for a driver/wood fitting and see what now suits, you may need Senior flex shafts . You don't have to buy from the fitter.
Once you know what you need/want, search around online , there's lot of excellent nearly new stuff for sale.
BTW, i suggest you change your forum name, we have enough BS on here already mostly from me

 

[Maninblack4612]

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.

More fool them, then. But to say that there have been no advances in club design in 30 years is daft. Do you play with hickory shafts & smooth leather grips? If not, how do you decide how old the clubs you play with should be?

 

[Backache]

Borrow some new clubs, try both and see which set gives you most pleasure.
The new ones should be a bit easier to play with.

 

[Backache]

BTW, i suggest you change your forum name, we have enough BS on here already :

Burning Spear is a very fine singer. An admirable name whatever the acronym can also refer to.

 

[williamalex1]

Burning Spear is a very fine singer. An admirable name whatever the acronym can also refer to.

What about Britney

 

[bradleywedge]

I only had a 6 year hiatus and I have changed my whole bag and outfit!

Personal preference and budget range I guess.

 

[Crow]

More fool them, then. But to say that there have been no advances in club design in 30 years is daft. Do you play with hickory shafts & smooth leather grips? If not, how do you decide how old the clubs you play with should be?

I have nothing against anybody playing whatever equipment they like, everyone can make their own choice.
But to dismiss anything over 10 or 20 years old as ruining your chances of playing good golf is crazy.
I like to be competitive too but getting the lowest handicap possible by using every ounce of tech doesn't make you a better player, it just gives you a lower handicap.
You can be just as good a player using clubs that don't have all the tech but your handicap will be a few shots higher. The standard of your swing will be the same, although I'd argue it would in fact be better.

But the club manufacturers have convinced us that getting the last inch of distance is paramount, hence all the loft creep. shaft lengthening, hot faces, etc that's been going on.
Even then with all that tech help, I don't think the difference in the average players score would be more than 2 to 4 shots higher for 18 holes (depending on handicap and course length) once they'd adjusted to old school clubs.


All I'm saying is, is that there are alternatives, you don't have to buy the latest and greatest to enjoy golf, or play golf well.


Advances in club design in the last 30 years have been greater than they were in the 100 years prior to that.

• Drivers/woods have changed out of all recognition.
• Irons have shown dramatic changes, though not as great as drivers.
• Putters have also changed significantly and most people now play a huge mallet with massive MOI.
• Even shaft technology is pushed down our throats now, but for most golfers I don't think it makes much difference apart from the weight.

I do play hickory with leather grips but probably only 15 or 20 rounds a year.
As for how old the clubs should be, it's a personal choice but for me it's as below:

• Woods - should be made of wood, that effectively means pre 1990 as after that they were pretty much all made from metal.
• Irons - should be forged or cast from a single piece of metal with no excessive cavities. If you compared an iron from 1880 with a blade from 1980 you'd see little change in the head design.
• Putters - should be blades (and an Anser isn't a blade ) but I do deviate a bit here using old mallets occasionally.

Yes I'm a golfing Luddite if you like but I still get huge enjoyment from playing golf like that.
And the collecting side is fun too!

 

[Backache]

What about Britney

Maybe the same acronym and probably easier on the eye, but a far less talented singer.

 

[Swango1980]

I have nothing against anybody playing whatever equipment they like, everyone can make their own choice.
But to dismiss anything over 10 or 20 years old as ruining your chances of playing good golf is crazy.
I like to be competitive too but getting the lowest handicap possible by using every ounce of tech doesn't make you a better player, it just gives you a lower handicap.
You can be just as good a player using clubs that don't have all the tech but your handicap will be a few shots higher. The standard of your swing will be the same, although I'd argue it would in fact be better.

But the club manufacturers have convinced us that getting the last inch of distance is paramount, hence all the loft creep. shaft lengthening, hot faces, etc that's been going on.
Even then with all that tech help, I don't think the difference in the average players score would be more than 2 to 4 shots higher for 18 holes (depending on handicap and course length) once they'd adjusted to old school clubs.


All I'm saying is, is that there are alternatives, you don't have to buy the latest and greatest to enjoy golf, or play golf well.


Advances in club design in the last 30 years have been greater than they were in the 100 years prior to that.

• Drivers/woods have changed out of all recognition.
• Irons have shown dramatic changes, though not as great as drivers.
• Putters have also changed significantly and most people now play a huge mallet with massive MOI.
• Even shaft technology is pushed down our throats now, but for most golfers I don't think it makes much difference apart from the weight.

I do play hickory with leather grips but probably only 15 or 20 rounds a year.
As for how old the clubs should be, it's a personal choice but for me it's as below:

• Woods - should be made of wood, that effectively means pre 1990 as after that they were pretty much all made from metal.
• Irons - should be forged or cast from a single piece of metal with no excessive cavities. If you compared an iron from 1880 with a blade from 1980 you'd see little change in the head design.
• Putters - should be blades (and an Anser isn't a blade ) but I do deviate a bit here using old mallets occasionally.

Yes I'm a golfing Luddite if you like but I still get huge enjoyment from playing golf like that.
And the collecting side is fun too!

Do you still have a black and white TV?

Fair enough, you are an enthusiast of old golf clubs, so stick with it by all means. But, as you alluded to at start, if a golfer wants to try and aim to shoot as low a score as they can, then relatively modern equipment is almost essential. I'd never want to get to a handicap of x, but assume my ability was good enough to really be a handicap of x-y if I had better clubs. I'd just get better clubs and actually try and prove it. Also, using old clubs can be quite demoralising if you are hitting it badly, or not quite hitting your driver far enough. New clubs can help if it means they are more forgiving and you are keeping up better with the driving distances of those around you. More enjoyable.

Each to their own. I would agree though that I'd never recommend anyone going out and buying brand spanking new clubs unless either they were loaded anyway and didn't care about the money, or it was a real treat for them (like their only major golf purchase in 10 years) and they play a lot of golf.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Do you still have a black and white TV?

Fair enough, you are an enthusiast of old golf clubs, so stick with it by all means. But, as you alluded to at start, if a golfer wants to try and aim to shoot as low a score as they can, then relatively modern equipment is almost essential. I'd never want to get to a handicap of x, but assume my ability was good enough to really be a handicap of x-y if I had better clubs. I'd just get better clubs and actually try and prove it. Also, using old clubs can be quite demoralising if you are hitting it badly, or not quite hitting your driver far enough. New clubs can help if it means they are more forgiving and you are keeping up better with the driving distances of those around you. More enjoyable.

Each to their own. I would agree though that I'd never recommend anyone going out and buying brand spanking new clubs unless either they were loaded anyway and didn't care about the money, or it was a real treat for them (like their only major golf purchase in 10 years) and they play a lot of golf.

Old B&W telly was rubbish quality - but that was the telly-tech. Black & White films are brilliant - try watching The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - triple Oscar winning - still may be able to catch it on TCM

 

[Swango1980]

Old B&W telly was rubbish quality - but that was the telly-tech. Black & White films are brilliant - try watching The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - triple Oscar winning - still may be able to catch it on TCM

12 Angry Men (1957), another great one

 

[Crow]

Do you still have a black and white TV?

Fair enough, you are an enthusiast of old golf clubs, so stick with it by all means. But, as you alluded to at start, if a golfer wants to try and aim to shoot as low a score as they can, then relatively modern equipment is almost essential. I'd never want to get to a handicap of x, but assume my ability was good enough to really be a handicap of x-y if I had better clubs. I'd just get better clubs and actually try and prove it. Also, using old clubs can be quite demoralising if you are hitting it badly, or not quite hitting your driver far enough. New clubs can help if it means they are more forgiving and you are keeping up better with the driving distances of those around you. More enjoyable.

Each to their own. I would agree though that I'd never recommend anyone going out and buying brand spanking new clubs unless either they were loaded anyway and didn't care about the money, or it was a real treat for them (like their only major golf purchase in 10 years) and they play a lot of golf.

Your choice, and no I have a colour TV.

I'd never want to get to a handicap of x, but assume my ability was good enough to really be a handicap of x-y if I had better clubs.

Why is that? Do you rate your skill level purely on your handicap?


And I think you're a bit adrift on how much difference there is in the distances between old and new clubs.
I keep up with those around me when playing and as I've said before, I do enjoy my golf.
Drivers are down maybe 30 yards but I like that as it means I get to use more of my clubs rather than driver, wedge on half the holes.
Irons are two or three clubs down but if you hit a vintage club of equal loft and shaft length (rather than looking at the number on the bottom), see table below, then you'd see little difference.






I'm done on this thread now,

 

[Swango1980]

Your choice, and no I have a colour TV.




Why is that? Do you rate your skill level purely on your handicap?


And I think you're a bit adrift on how much difference there is in the distances between old and new clubs.
I keep up with those around me when playing and as I've said before, I do enjoy my golf.
Drivers are down maybe 30 yards but I like that as it means I get to use more of my clubs rather than driver, wedge on half the holes.
Irons are two or three clubs down but if you hit a vintage club of equal loft and shaft length (rather than looking at the number on the bottom), see table below, then you'd see little difference.

That's the biggest advertisement for supporting new clubs anyone has made.

Let's say I play a par 4, 400 yards. With my clubs I hit a good drive and then a 9 iron to the green.

With old clubs, my drive is 30 yards down. So, I'll be generous and say 30 yards is a 2-club difference. Therefore, I'm now hitting a 7 iron into the green (if not a 6 iron). However, as you suggest, irons are 2-3 clubs down as well. So, rather than 7 iron, I am now hitting a 4/5 iron.

So, in summary, with new clubs I am hitting Driver and 9 iron to the green. With old clubs I am hitting driver and anything from a 3 iron to 5 iron to the green. And that is just assuming I hit the ball well. What if I am slightly off centre? How much distance do I lose with the old clubs versus the new clubs? Probably a heck of a lot more. There are a lot of golfers out there who struggle to even get to greens in regulation with pure strikes, so they'd really benefit with newer clubs. And even big hitters, generally, will get more satisfaction hitting a medium iron to a par 5 in 2, rather than hitting a 3 wood, or just playing it as a 3 shotter?

 

[Crow]

That's the biggest advertisement for supporting new clubs anyone has made.

Let's say I play a par 4, 400 yards. With my clubs I hit a good drive and then a 9 iron to the green.

With old clubs, my drive is 30 yards down. So, I'll be generous and say 30 yards is a 2-club difference. Therefore, I'm now hitting a 7 iron into the green (if not a 6 iron). However, as you suggest, irons are 2-3 clubs down as well. So, rather than 7 iron, I am now hitting a 4/5 iron.

So, in summary, with new clubs I am hitting Driver and 9 iron to the green. With old clubs I am hitting driver and anything from a 3 iron to 5 iron to the green. And that is just assuming I hit the ball well. What if I am slightly off centre? How much distance do I lose with the old clubs versus the new clubs? Probably a heck of a lot more. There are a lot of golfers out there who struggle to even get to greens in regulation with pure strikes, so they'd really benefit with newer clubs. And even big hitters, generally, will get more satisfaction hitting a medium iron to a par 5 in 2, rather than hitting a 3 wood, or just playing it as a 3 shotter?

I don't argue with any of that as that's what I've been saying, but even so the difference in scoring will only be around 2 to 4 shots a round.
But as I've said, it's how the player gets their enjoyment that matters.

I used to play new clubs but I got disillusioned with the way the course was being overpowered, I was hitting driver wedge too often and it was becoming boring. I wanted to hit long irons and fairway woods, a flushed long iron is one of the greatest feelings in golf, for me anyway, and I now get the opportunity to try and do that more often.
A par 5 was intended to be reached by most golfers in three shots, a highly skilled player might do it in two with a fairway wood or occasionally a long iron, now every man and his dog can do it in two, even with a mid iron as you point out (at least that's what the number on the bottom kids us anyway).


I've just listed my last set of modern irons on ebay and a couple of 460 cc drivers, my last modern driver will follow shortly.

Luckily in golf we can each play whatever (complying) equipment we want, I wish you every enjoyment with the new clubs and I'll stick to the old.

 

[jim8flog]

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?

.

Not if I could buy a putter for the same money that guaranteed I would never miss from 10ft and under.

 

[craigstardis1976]

If you are sure you want golf to be part of your life, setting yourself up with decent clubs is a breeze.

my current bag:

Driver 5 Wood and 7 wood: Taylor Made Jetspeed. Driver was $50 and Woods were $30 a pop from 2015 - so technology is still perfectly good.
Hybrid: Callaway Big Bertha 4H Heaven Wood - from 2004 but fits nicely with the loft of my irons, cost was $20
Irons: Ping Eye 2 Plus, 4,5,6,7,8,9, 48 Degree PW, 53 Degree SW and 58 Degree LW. $110 for the set - still widely used and cherished here in the USA, especially here in AZ, the home of Ping and still a relevant club nearly 40 years after its original incarnation.
Putter: Ping Anser Original from 1969. $15
Bag: Used Ping Hoofer $20

So for just $270 you can have a set that works as well as anything out there, today and should last you many years. And the Ping Eye2 definitely has the "cool factor" still! I would imagine costs would be similar in the UK.

Over time, I changed the grips out so they all matched and treated my Pings to a reshaft with a modern steel shaft (Dynalite Gold XP) and Ping Eye 2 Plus's with modern shafts as long as you have the right color code are simply awesome feeling.

 

[Burning Spear]

Well thank thanks all for such an illuminating range of advice and opinion. I shall certainly stick with what I've got to begin with but keep an open mind so perhaps borrow a couple of newer woods and irons to test out the difference. I do get a kick out of keeping the faith with old stuff but not to the point of being silly about it. Thanks - and I'll keep you posted.

 

[Orikoru]

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.

I agree with this. My enjoyment comes from hitting nice drives, and shots onto the green. I'm no athlete, so using clubs with more forgiveness means I'm going to hit more of those nice shots I find desirable. It's a no brainer for me.

It's like how people are with cars though. Some people want reliable economical cars, whereas some people would rather drive a classic sports car that guzzles petrol and breaks down every few months. Like golf it's just about what you value the most.