high h/c golfers and top gear

[papyt]

after the thread regarding spending more than a £10er on golf clothes and me saying i spend over £150 on some outfits why then do we have think it is ok for high h/c players to spend over a £1000 on clubs that they cant use properly,should they start with cheaper clubs before moving on to the latest white headed monster or the butter knife thin blades or is vanity ok in club selection but not in dress and why do 26+ h/c always moan about the clubs they have and think r11 or i20 or any of the latest models will get their h/c down to single figures overnight.

 

[In_The_Rough]

Nothing wrong at all with high h/c spending top dollar on clubs if you can afford to buy really quality easy to use clubs such as Ping, Callaway etc no problem at all what I think is daft is when high h/c buy clubs that are not suited to them such as Blades or unforgiving woods/Drivers. With regards to the other point a workmen always blames his tools

 

[Rooter]

Why not? just because my handicap is 20, does that mean i shouldnt be allowed £1000 worth of clubs? my clubs work very well for me, and my handicap is coming down nicely.. should i sell my R11 woods and Burner2 irons and go to sports direct for some dunlops until i am sub 12 handicap? Its my money, i will spend it on what i want thanks!

Agree with ITR though, no point shelling big dollar on some blades etc, that i agree with! get the best you can afford, and if that happens to be some really nice kit, then so be it!

 

[BoadieBroadus]

i agree with the gist of what you are saying, but the same argument comes up when someone points out the folly of a 20+ handicapper asking whether he is more suited to a Pro V or a Pro V1X. I have to say i very rarely come across any high handicappers playing with excessively expensive gear, or with Pro V1's for that matter.

I think the argument is primarily hypothetical.

 

[Tiger]

This is the most ridiculous thread I've ever seen. Game improving clubs will take your bag value to well over £1,000. FFS what is this shoot high handicaps season? Mental. I also don't like the sweeping generalisation that ALL high handicaps think equipment is the answer. In some cases it helps but above all else technique is critically important.

 

[DAVEYBOY]

I had better take my Burner 2.0 irons back then as being a 24 HCP im not entitled to use them am I!!! What a ridiculous post you have submited mate.

 

[In_The_Rough]

Whether it is a ridiculous post or not he has certainly generated some debate here

 

[dibenny]

hello , i'am a complete novice to golf and bought some dunlops to start with.
the first time i used them i snapped the head off the 3 wood down the range.
the second time i took them out the 5 wood snapped in the bag.
I just wish i bought some decent gear first instead of buying cheap rubbish.

 

[Rooter]

Whether it is a ridiculous post or not he has certainly generated some debate here

think he has had a bad day at AG reading the AG fitting post.. LOL

 

[DaveM]

You pay your money and make your choice. Its totally up to the individual. If it makes you feel good and gives you confidence. Go for it. Yes even blades if thats what you want. A good hit is a good hit whatever the clubs. Ok a bad hit is a different matter. But who knows Maybe blades will make you learn to hit it better. Rather than the club doing half the job for you.

Buy whatever turns you on thats what I say. I and many like me learnt this game when all you could get were blades!

 

[GreiginFife]

It's an interesting point made by the OP, however on the converse (and maybe £1000 clubs is excessive) but there is an argument that says you pay for quality and is it not easier to play with clubs that are designed for high handicappers that are made by a company with good reputation that matches quality?
What I mean is that companies like TM and Callaway DO make irons targetting the high HC'er, these invariably cost more as the company invests more on R&D and, in turn, produces a better quality of equipment.
Buy cheap, pay twice is the old adage.

 

[jammag]

I think you can spend what you like on clothes clubs balls etc no matter what handicap you are. If you think about it surely a top end ball is going to stop better for the high handicappers on the green and be a better ball to putt with? I dont like people being judged on what they have or plan to buy its bang out of order and they should concentrate on there own game. People seem to be so much more focused on what ball or clubs or t shirt someone else is using rather than concentrate on there own ball getting it into the hole.

People need to remember golf is a very individual game, you could come up with thousands of set ups for clubs, balls, tees, clothes, trolleys.Need to remember whats good for one isnt good for the other so just leave them be if they are happy.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Have to say if I had a h/c it would be high, I started with a set of Ben Sayers and have upgraded them after not long playing, if I had the choice again I would of never got the cheap set i'm sure the better clubs I now have have improved the forgeness on my shots and taken shots off my game. i'm not sure I could of shot the 84 I got the other day with my Ben Sayers gear.

Does the gear make me better no, but it sure does help to have quality clubs fitted for your swing.

 

[papyt]

the point i am trying to make is along with many forum members when i started to play over 30 years ago most of us started with second hand or a half set at best,we worked on our swings and as we developed our game as time went on we bought better gear and as things developed we moved to perimeter weighted clubs etc and better balls,now it seems you cant play golf unless you have the latest driver or irons and even if your swing looks like your chopping a tree down the thinking is a £350+ driver is a cure all and how many post do we see regarding what loft should my 4 wedges be from 20+ h/c players ,learn to play first before worrying about that and spend your money on lessons and a good second hand set of clubs because its no good having the latest gear if you cant play.

 

[Tiger]

Papyt how about working hard at school, hard at university, hard at your job, being prudent with your cash, not going to the pub, and using the hard earned disposable cash you have to pay for lessons and new (rather than 2nd hand) equipment? Just a thought

 

[Tiger]

Also 30 years ago didn't a set of golf clubs cost (relatively) much, much more meaning that most people couldn't afford a new set? I'm sure advances in manufacturing, increasing sponsorship and the global growth of the golf market has made the game (relatively) more affordable!

 

[louise_a]

I have just bought a bag trolley 7 irons and a 3 wood for £700, I have also ordered a driver for £180. so just short of £900 and not a full set.
I looked at it this way. I tried a couple of clubs from a set that cost £180. I didnt like the feel of them. I could have bought them and then 6 or 12 months down the line decide I need better, and then spent £900, it would have been £200 wasted.

 

[Heidi]

These manufacturers are churning out these white headed drivers, would they be more expensive if they made less of them only for use by the 'elite' cat 1s?

 

[GreiginFife]

On the point made by Tiger, manufacturing techniques and methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma mean that mass manufacture does not now equal diminished quality (that was the hallmark of mass production in the 70's and 80's) so something that would be prohibitively expensive 30 years ago has probably been improved in production to the extent that it's now comfortably affordable. However, the point I made earlier is that the R&D budgets that get spent developing technology to help those not so good at the game has to be recouped somewhere so adding £100 to a set of £399 irons making them £499 is the easiest way. The quality remains high and the return helps to fund the next R&D project.
It's a bit like saying that anyone just passed their driving test and isn't very good should be driving a shed. That won't help them to become a better driver as it does not have the same quality.

 

[papyt]

These manufacturers are churning out these white headed drivers, would they be more expensive if they made less of them only for use by the 'elite' cat 1s?

my point in a nutshell everyone has been taken by the hype,is a ping g10 driver no good anymore or last years all singing and dancing irons useless the answer is no so why are people new to the game hell bent on not learning to play with this type of club instead of thinking they have to have the latest and in some cases a club not suited for them in the long term.