Have i done the right thing?

[Slicedwight]

Started playing properly in July (played a couple of rounds 8 years ago) i had a set of wilson prostaff irons and was hitting them ok if inconsistent, my driving and putting were really ruining my scores (sometimes taking more than 40 putts and losing at least 4 or 5 drives). My playing partner felt certain that at 6ft 3 my clubs were too small and i needed longer clubs, made sense so i bought a set of mizuno mx100's with longer shaft and upright lie, have now played 8 rounds with these (and a couple of driving range sessions) but my gross scores have gone up a little even though im now only taking 32-35 putts per round and rarely lose a drive now. The irons just do not feel right to me, they feel heavy and cumbersome compared to my old irons, they are a little more forgiving in fairness but i have lost stacks of distance, not so much with 8 to pw but i used to hit my 7 iron about 155yds now hitting the new one 120 yds even my 5 iron struggles to reach 150 yds !! Played yesterday and despite some fantastic driving and not having any 3 putts i took 104 on a course i have shot 95 on - toys went out the pram and i have sold these clubs to golfbidder !! in a spur of the moment thing i have now purchased a second hand set of callaway x20's!! Am i just making the situation worse and should i have stuck with the mizunos till things came right? or do you think if something just doesnt feel right there is little point in persevering ?
Sorry for the ramble but am causing myself all sorts of confusion now!

 

[MoonPig]

I would speak to your club pro who can then have a look at your swing and data and either make some reccomendations from there regarding flaws with technique or equipment and even have a look at custom fit.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Could be you were nice and steep with the old clubs and getting a good contact.

I think anyone who is quite tall or short should get advice on shaft length from their pro as soon as possible.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

It doesnt matter if its right or wrong, we cant change things in retrospect

Take your new clubs along to a pro, have a lesson or 2, ask him if these clubs are appropriate for you and see how you get on with them

Be prepared to change depending on advice,

In a perfect world, I would have taken the old clubs along to a pro and had him fix what was wrong

You live and learn mate

Want to Buy a Chipper?

Fragger

 

[TonyN]

To be fair, it could be a host of things. You really need somebody who knows what there looking for to watch you play.

It might be the clubs, but more than likely it sounds like it's you.

You've only been playing since july and your handicap is 26. Your not going to set the course on fire yet and it will be very inconsistant for a while.

I'd recommened working with a PGA pro if you can afford it and get some lessons. Once you have a grooved swing, you can look at your club set up. (provided its not massively wrong to start with)

Best of luck. Keep us updated.

 

[Slicedwight]

i should say there was some method in my madness (although it was 90% madness ) the mizunos were 0.5" longer and 2 degree upright lie, the callaways are 0.25" longer and 1 degree more upright than the wilsons so should be exactly in the middle of the two, hopefully giving me the consistency of the mizunos with the distance i was originally hitting with the wilsons. And in fairness ive paid the same for the callaways as golfbidder are giving me for the mizunos, although i have had to also buy a sw for the callaway set. I will give them a go and if its not working will need to call in the professionals. I do think that some clubs just feel right for the individual and i really do think no matter what help i got or how long i played with the mizunos they would never have felt right, but guess like you say can't change it now so will have to keep my fingers crossed.

 

[USER1999]

I have had clubs half inch longer, two degrees upright, or standard length, lie. Makes no odds.

It's you.

Make them work.

 

[Slicedwight]

i understand that its me that needs to change but in fairness my mid and particularly short iron play was good before the first change of clubs it was the putting and driving letting me down, now ive improved them but the new irons (i could kick myself for taking someone elses advice about needing longer clubs in the first place) are letting me down. Im playing a good 30 or 40 yds shorter with the 7 iron down to 4 iron and just think this is down to the club, after all if it was me how was i hitting the previous irons that mych further? the main difference with the club is that the mizuno is very heavy in comparison and has slowed my swing down quite a bit, ok so the bad shots arent as bad as with my old set of irons but even the clean strikes just arent going anywhere.

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm 6ft 5 and when I started I was given some standard clubs and used them for a good few years. I was better with the longer clubs - 2,3,4 irons. My shorter irons tended to go right. This stopped when I had clubs that were 1 inch longer and 2 degrees upright.

If clubs are too short you may have a tendancy to not get the sole square to the ground and the heel would be off the ground. Then the toe could catch the ground and leave the face open and the ball goes right.

It may be that you got used to your original clubs and created a set up that allowed you to hit good shots. When you changed clubs you still used the original set up and consequently it was wrong for those clubs.

It seems to me that you would be better getting fitted for some clubs and then having some lessons to ensure you set up correctly for the new clubs. Make sure you also check the grip size. I have 3 layers of tape under my grips and if you are my size, your hands may well be big enough to need larger grips.

 

[rosecott]

It doesnt matter if its right or wrong, we cant change things in retrospect

Take your new clubs along to a pro, have a lesson or 2, ask him if these clubs are appropriate for you and see how you get on with them

Be prepared to change depending on advice,

In a perfect world, I would have taken the old clubs along to a pro and had him fix what was wrong

You live and learn mate

Want to Buy a Chipper?

Fragger

What you asking?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Get lessons and get a more consistant swing and then worry about it

 

[lmoss90]

In my experience regardless of the sport I have always performed best with gear that ultimately I was most comfotable with. Im pretty sure most people would agree with me on that.

 

[Leftie]

I think anyone who is quite tall or short should get advice on shaft length from their pro as soon as possible.

She has no complaints.

 

[Captain_Black]

We are in very simular situations.
I also started playing in July & have had 6x lessons with a Pro, he has corrected my original awful swing (well almost) he also said my clubs were rubbish.

So I have bought some Callaway Big Bertha's & Callaway Driver & a no3 Hybrid, I am also struggling at the moment, the weight of the new clubs is considerably more than the old one's I had & consistancy of my shots is a big problem at the moment.

My score has come down from my 1st rounds, which were in the 115 / 120 mark to the mid to low 90's, but I am still making lot's of silly mistakes & wild shots, although I am confidant that once I find the consistancy with club to ball contact & better accuracy my score's will tumble.

When I do manage a good shot, the clubs feel fantastic (I put a 185 yard tee shot 3 feet from the pin with a 4 iron the other day) then on the very next hole I couldn't hit the ball to save my life.

I have bought loads of balls & a ball pick up device, I am heading for the practice area for a few days to try to find a reliable shot & accuracy, only then will I venture back on to the course.

 

[Slicedwight]

yes similar problem by the sounds but whereas before i could hit a 4 iron 180 yds i can now only hit them 150-160 max and it makes a lot of par 4's difficult to reach in 2 shots, i havent yet learnt to hit a fairway wood so at the moment if im 170 -180 out i have to take a 7 iron and leave myself a chip onto the green which is soul destroying when i know that 3 weeks ago i could hit that distance with a 4 or even 5 iron, my rounds like a lot of high handicappers are being ruined by 2 or 3 really bad holes but i feel like if i cant reach most par 4s in less than 3 shots i really dont have much chance to drag that score back, what clubs did you have before the callaways ? and how do you find the big bertha's?

 

[Captain_Black]

what clubs did you have before the callaways ? and how do you find the big bertha's?

I had a set of Penn graphite shafted irons which felt quite nice to handle, but were very lightweight & a cheap Palm Springs Driver.

The Callaways feel very nice to handle & the 4 & 5 irons are an I bred design (2008 model) all the reviews I read were very positive, I am still getting used to them & I find them quite heavy to swing compaired to my previous clubs, but when I catch it right the ball fly's off the face of the club with a lovely high ball flight.

I haven't bothered with a fairway wood yet, I think I have enough trouble getting used to the driver & irons, but what I have bought is a no3 Hybrid, this has the added benefit of being more usable than a fairway wood out of the light rough & gives me good distance (200 yards +)

I am confidant that with a bit more practice I can shoot consistant rounds of low 90's or below with my current set of clubs.

One thing that has helped me alot, is looking at the slow motion video's on U-Tube, I watched where the pro's position their hands / stance / the swing / & ball position for different clubs.

 

[HickoryShaft]

I am a similar height and my first clubs were an off the shelf model just to get started.

After really struggling to hit the ball anything but a slice I had a few lessons and club length was definitely a factor. I tended to lean over too much and the toe of the club hit the ground first and turned at it went through the ball opening the face up and creating the slice.

I know at the time my swing was also awful but I wasn't even giving myself a decent chance of hitting it well. I think if you are taller than 6 foot its better to get a custom fit done first then learn or you get too many bad habits in your game.

Tried using a standard set recently on holiday and could not hit the ball straight again without really thinking about the swing path and speed etc - not something that I would have even realised I needed to do when I first started .

The game is hard enough as it is - get the club length you need to give yourself a chance.

 

[Smiffy]

yes similar problem by the sounds but whereas before i could hit a 4 iron 180 yds i can now only hit them 150-160 max and it makes a lot of par 4's difficult to reach in 2 shots

What shafts have you got in the new irons? And can you remember what shafts you had in your old ones?
When I got back into golf about 3 years ago I was keen to get new clubs. And stupidly purchased a set of Callaway irons with S300 shafts. Much too firm for my creaky old swing. Felt like girders in my hands and I couldn't get on with them.
As others have said, go and see a pro. Get your swing looked at and allow him to make a few suggestions.
The shafts are the "engine room" of the club. It's no good having a flash looking car with a piddly 1100cc engine fitted to it.

 

[Piece]

Am i just making the situation worse and should i have stuck with the mizunos till things came right? or do you think if something just doesnt feel right there is little point in persevering ?
Sorry for the ramble but am causing myself all sorts of confusion now!

Going forward, it will depend on how serious you are about golf. If you really want to improve then right clubs through a fit and in tandem with good pro lessons will be the right way. A simple static fit from a reputable pro or shop will sort the right club length and lie for you - remember it's not set in stone that you need long shafts as it also depends on posture and arms length, but your height indicates that a longer shaft should be the one. Your lie angle will depend on your swing. You can then source the right second hand clubs for you and stick with them throughout your lessons. The natural rule of lessons usually means you have to get worse before getting better!

If not serious and just a social player, the go back to your originals and have fun.

 

[Slicedwight]

Typical ! Having agreed to sell my clubs to golfbidder and having bought some callaways i decided last minute to pop out for a quick 18 holes this afternoon, as the callaways have not yet turned up i unpacked the box that was waiting for the courier to collect with my mizunos in and set off expecting nothing great - 18 holes later i ended 18 over par and have knocked my handicap down to 24 !! my score included 5 lipped out putts for birdies as well !! i think the score was more down to hitting every drive onto the fairway and some solid putting as the low and mid irons were still the weakest part of my game today - but its made me think again maybe i'll hang on to both sets and play four or five rounds with the callaways before making a final decision !