Help me with my new club indecision...

[mashleyR7]

So I WANT new clubs but can not decide on what ones I should go for. Here's the story so far....

The only reason i'm looking new clubs is that mine are 2008/9 TM Burner 2.0's and are looking tired.

Almost exactly a year ago I went to Left Handed Golf and had a fitting. At the time I was 13hcp looking to come down as much as possible. The fitter suggested clubs that still had a large amount of forgiveness such as the Xhot, TM RBZ, Pings and Miz MP59's plus many more of this type of club. I eventually narrowed it down the the MP's being my favorite with the KBS stiff shaft which he said suited my swing speed.

Due to endless indecision I never went ahead with the purchase.

So this month I've been back to Left Handed Golf and had another fitting. This year I have come down to be on 10.3, with my goal for next year to get into single figures. I explained my aim to the fitter and how I think that I don't hit enough greens and that I want a club thats easy to hit nice on the eye and will help me get down those few more shots. i said I liked the KBS shaft so we stuck with the model. He suggested and I tried the Callaway Apex, AP1's, TM TC Preferred, Some Pings and the new Mizun JPX 850 Forged. These clubs were suggested by him as he said they've give a tighter dispersion and help me hit more greens, they'd still be playable and forgiving but not as forgiving as my Burner's which are prob not helping me on bad shots. I'm come away thinking that I liked the AP1's and the JPX Forged the best. Still with the KBS shaft.

I think my indecision comes from the fact that when I have a fitting I never feel like I've hit the ball well. I always feel after, am I making the right choice?

Also, last year the fitter said I need stiff shaft, this year he said regualar? My swing speed with a 7/6 is around 85-90 mph.

I likes all the clubs I've tried. I liked the MP59's a lot but never conivinced myself to buy them.

I just don't know what to do. I fear buying something that in fact hinders my progress and that I don't like. I'll then loose money and have to buy some more. (which isn't a great issue but no one likes throwing £ away)

Please help with your thoughts.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Where did you go for the fitting. Did they use a monitor to measure your shots with each club and did you actually hit the same club with a regular shaft. Personally, rather than the KBS I'd have looked at different models if only to see what differences it makes to flight, distance and dispersion.

If it was me, I'd go back, hit some more balls with the different clubs, and not restrict the list just yet. It's a big outlay and as I found out with my G25's you need to make sure they are right for you.

 

[mashleyR7]

I went to Left Handed Golf, as Im left handed.

I did try other shafts and the KBS always felt the nicest. I did hit the stiff last year and hit the reg at the latest fitting and to be honest Im not sure I could feel the difference, but him looking at the stats showed me as needed stiff ast year and this year he said im on the cusp of stiff/reg so go for thereg?

 

[duncan mackie]

I've a shed full - R9 TP's with KBS TourS shafts sound the right ones for you

Being used you can obviously take them away and use them for a few weeks without prejudice having tried them at a range before you even go that far!

Large choice of drivers too...

oh - and it wouldn't be a large outlay to you!

 

[mashleyR7]

Left handed? Oh and im in South East, Kent.

 

[Ethan]

On the question of shaft flex, the right answer is based on techical data and feel and preference. 85-90 mph would be a stiff flex fur many players but if you have a smooth tempo regular might work better for you. A good fitter can also put you into an intermediate died between standard regular or stiff by hard or soft stepping shafts. KBS also sell R+ and S+ versions.

On the choice of head you sound like a candidate for a players cavity. The TM MC is a nice example, Mizuno 850 Pro or a pro combo set such as Nike could work too. AP1/2 combo set or Cally Apex/Apex Pro combo is also worth a look.

 

[MadAdey]

I have the JPX 825 Pro and love them, not as much as my MP33, but they look compact and let you get away with any slight miss-hits, I imagine the 850 are pretty much the same. I would strongly advise going to a Mizuno DNA fitting centre if you go that route as I would never have came away with the shafts I did otherwise. They will have leftie options for you to try as they use the interchangeable head system.

When I got mine I actually got to try the KBS Tour, Project X and TTDG all in stiff and X-stiff, in the correct length and lie angle. So i got to try the perfect shaft flex, length and lie angle as a complete club on the launch monitor before purchasing. I would never purchase Mizuno unless it was using the DNA system.

 

[mashleyR7]

Thanks for you in put so far. Actually I have tried the DNA system last year at the golf show and they too said the KBS stiff shaft.

Why is this all so diificult?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Left handed? Oh and im in South East, Kent.

Left Handed Golf are working out of Silvermere now aren't they. I was on the cusp of Reg/Stiff and in the end went for an option of getting the regular shafts hard stepped.

 

[garyinderry]

None of these irons will magically make you hit more greens. The way you will drop handicap is by making a couple more pars from the greens that you miss!

 

[Alex1975]

I have Mizuno 825 Pro, very much like the 850 Pro but less jacked lofts. They are great irons, forgiving, soft and very acceptable looks. Very well packages irons with smaller short irons and a little bigger long irons.

 

[Oddsocks]

I've a shed full - R9 TP's with KBS TourS shafts sound the right ones for you

Being used you can obviously take them away and use them for a few weeks without prejudice having tried them at a range before you even go that far!

Large choice of drivers too...

oh - and it wouldn't be a large outlay to you!

I'd be going this route unless your set on new. Cheap set of r9 fir the winter and if your still set on new trade in the spring when all the new models are in

 

[chrisd]

I've offered to let him try my Callaways but he keeps making the excuse that he's left handed! :smirk:

 

[Smiffy]

I think my indecision comes from the fact that when I have a fitting I never feel like I've hit the ball well. I always feel after, am I making the right choice?

My swing is a bit "iffy" at the best of times. Put me off a mat, and it gets even worse. I have an aversion to mats. That's why I never go down the driving range.
I have been fitted for clubs once. I was hitting balls off of a mat, plus I was nervous because I knew I was putting my shonky swing on display.
Came away with a lovely set of Mizuno's which I couldn't hit for toffee and sold them after six months.
Went out and bought a set of Ping i15's straight off the shelf at the Highwoods pro shop. Picked one up, thought "I could bash that" and that was it. Regular shafts, black dot, standard grips. Mr Regular me. Paid my money and walked out with them under my arm. Mike the pro said "see how you get on with them, if you're not hitting them well after a couple of weeks, come back and we'll check the lie/lofts for you and I'll send them away and get them specced up FOC if necessary".
First time out with them was the following day at East Brighton. 37 points with a couple of blobs thrown in. Funnily enough, I never went back to see Mike in the pro shop!
I've just ordered some new i25's. Have picked one up in the shop and thought "I could bash that". Never hit one in my life, but I love the look of them. Regular shaft, black dot, standard grip.
Fitting, for me, doesn't work. If a fitter was honest, after seeing my swing off of a mat the best advice he could give to me would be "take up Cricket".

 

[Hacker Khan]

As a fellow lefty I'd be very interested in hearing how the fitting was. Did they user launch monitors, we're you hitting it down a range and not into a screen, did they have all the current clubs to try, is it worth traveling about 3 hours there and 3 back to get access to a wide range of clubs, how long did the fitting take and did you get the impression it would take as long as needed or where you on the clock?

I also understand they have a 'branch' up Bradford Leeds way so don't suppose anyone's tried that? As that would be closer to me.

 

[duncan mackie]

Left handed? Oh and im in South East, Kent.

of course - and so am I.....

I'm away for a few days but pm me if you want to discuss further.

 

[MadAdey]

As a fellow lefty I'd be very interested in hearing how the fitting was. Did they user launch monitors, we're you hitting it down a range and not into a screen, did they have all the current clubs to try, is it worth traveling about 3 hours there and 3 back to get access to a wide range of clubs, how long did the fitting take and did you get the impression it would take as long as needed or where you on the clock?

I also understand they have a 'branch' up Bradford Leeds way so don't suppose anyone's tried that? As that would be closer to me.

To be honest I think of you go to most fitting centres now you can try out left handed clubs. The manufacturers use the interchangeable heads, that has reduced dramatically the amount of stuff needed to do a fit. The Mizzy DNA I saw at Thorpe Wood AG was full and had both left and right handed.

 

[Dave B]

I used to have Ping i15's very nice irons but after a spell of inconsistency following a back injury I wanted something more forgiving without compromising on accuracy. I bought the AP1 712's which straightened out my longer irons, which previously gave a very moderate fade from 6 iron downwards.

The AP1's are possibly the best feeling clubs I've used and are pin point accurate. They have a different feel to most cast clubs and offer a good combination of accuracy feel and forgiveness.

I'd recommend the AP1's however I'd also recommend trying the Ping i20/i25's if your handicap is coming down as they are another pin point accurate iron with a touch less forgiveness.

Which ever you go for get the lie checked as I've always been a regular off the shelf, (I bought black dot with the Pings 2nd hand), but with the Titleist's was fitted 2 degrees flat. It makes a big difference.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Go with what you feel comfortable with - you need to feel happy with the clubs in your hand regardless of any numbers that come up on a screen. No point buying based on the numbers then just not connecting with them and having to get new ones within months.

Out of interest which TM TP clubs was it ? the CB's or MC's ?

 

[mashleyR7]

of course - and so am I.....

I'm away for a few days but pm me if you want to discuss further.

Hi, I'm up for trying some clubs before I buy. I will Pm you you thanks.