How many shots would it add to your score if you used...

[Slab]

...a starter set of clubs?

So I'm giving you a brand new basic starter set of Dunlop/Slazenger golf clubs costing circa £130 & a few practice rounds to get used to them (& to get over your shame/embarrassment or simply throw up)

So what do you think you can shoot with these compared to your current kit?

Couple of other things to consider, you still get to use your regular ball choice & you can keep your push/pull/leccy trolly & no you wont be fitted for shaft length/flex

You go round your usual course & no extra clubs can be added to bring it up to 14 (& the starter kit putter is the one you'll use)

So how many shots will this add or (god forbid) reduce your average score by?

Being high h/cap I think it'll affect me less so using this thread as really interested to see what might happen with the more competent golfers who might be able to take their abilities and maximize the performance achievable from the clubs (also there's the amusing obvious side issue that if you can score similar... why do you have a grands worth of kit )

 

[pbrown7582]

i think you would score pretty close to your usual score maybe 1 or 2 higher, at the end of the day it the wrokman and not the tool which dictates the result.
A lot of reason for having all shiney new kit is in your head thinking you have the best kit so you should play your best and also a bit of brand snobbery.

 

[Wayman]

i would say about 2-5 more shots

 

[Fader]

I think the main things you'd lose with the Starter set would be a bit of distance, ability to shape the ball as much with the irons and maybe a little feel with the short clubs and putter.

Based on those things I'd say it'd add roughly 5 shots initially, but after using them for a while you could shave 2 shots of that.

 

[WideEyedFox]

None. No difference whatsoever. In fact - I could probably go round with the umbrella and score pretty close to my usual round :rofl: That said, a Dunlop umbrella may not finish the round.

I would imagine lower handicappers or people with a specific custom fit due to physical atributes would suffer most, probably with reduced distance/control.

This thread made me laugh out loud. The other day people were talking about oiks and getting ribbed for being snobs, and now we're talking about starter sets like Dunlop/Slazenger etc., the shame of using them and throwing up.

...and they say golf is not an elitest sport... :rofl:

 

[MadAdey]

I would imagine it would be like pulling teeth. I have to have my irons lengthened by 1" or I really struggle to hit them with any accuracy. I took my pros 712 MB's out the other week for a go and really struggled for accuracy as they were not long enough. Chances are the driver would be offset and draw biased which for someone who hates offset draw biased drivers is horrific. The wedges would probably feel dead also. So I would say it would possibly add a few shots onto my round.

I do not want to sound like a snob though and I am sure there is absolutely nothing wrong with them, but when you are use to using top kit then entry level stuff would feel strange. It would probably feel strange if I picked up another top manufacturers kit that I am not use to.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Pity there is not really a golfing equivalent to blind tasting or listening. Would love to see sopmeone who swore by the latest exepnsive gear choose a £47 set of Dunlop 65i's from Hargreaves (or wherever) as his favourite.

And I probably wouldn't score much worse. In fact as I'd concentrate more there is every chance I'd score better (but hey - our scores vary round by round so I actually couldn't say whether any difference in score was due to me, the weather/underfoot conditions or the clubs)

 

[CMAC]

interesting question OP:thup:

would be a very interesting side project, a bit like the one Peter Alliss did when he played the Old course with Hickory clubs and a feathery ball and shot level par for the 3 holes he played

 

[chrisd]

My brother started playing a couple of years ago and bought the complete works in a starter set. I met him at the range and found that the shafts in all the clubs were so poor that they never delivered the head back square. I think that they could easily have cost me 10 shot, or more, had I tried a round with them

 

[Robobum]

I've done this whilst playing abroad - got a hire set of Howson Derbys or something and played round Poniente nr Magaluf (end of season footy pilgramage)

Was playing off of 6 at the time and shot 76, so not a blind bit of difference.

 

[tsped83]

For me the biggest issue would be distance control. It may take a few holes to get my eye in as different brands have different lofts across the board. A Dunlop 7 iron could well be the equivalent of a 9 iron on some of the new jacked up lofts we see in irons now.

As for putting, probably no difference at all. Give me a pool cue and I'd still be hopeless.

 

[duncan mackie]

I can only go on the one time I hired clubs - they were far from a starter set (Gleneagles Kings / Titiest set) but the costs were high because I simply didn't know what the irons were going to deliver to the extent of my current ones. The actual cost in terms of shots would depend on the nature of the course being played. Putter is even more important - woods are the least important to scoring, but most important to confidence and enjoyment

 

[Stuey01]

I think the biggest problem for me would be driving the ball, and the crappy shovel sand wedge.
I never could get on with cavity backed wedges, I think I would lose probably 2-3 shots in the short game due to that.
Say 2 missed 4-6 footers because of using an unfamiliar putter.

I'm going for 6-8 shots, based on wayward driving, and lost shots in the short game. I'm going to say the iron game probably not too badly affected.

 

[garyinderry]

a shed load. i played allerton for the first time last summer with rented clubs that were a selection from the ancient clubs in the bargin bucket. couldnt hit the driver at all. small headed one. would need a range session to get my eye in. ended up playing the 5 iron from the tee as the 11wood i had was going like a 9 iron. a fun day in the sun but wouldnt like to know my score! got it going on the back nine and made quite a few pars but the course is small and easy if you keep it in play.

 

[JustOne]

I'd play better. Used to shoot under par with clubs that cost £70 for the whole set including irons/putter/driver/3-wood/5-wood/bag and trolley

Now just one of my wedges costs more than that and I play like a numpty, so it ain't the clubs!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Bearing in mind I can shoot anywhere between 74 and 96 with my current bats, I'm not sure how you would quantify it. Lets say I took up your challenge and after a couple of practice rounds I went out shot 85 - what would that tell you?

 

[JustOne]

Lets say I took up your challenge and after a couple of practice rounds I went out shot 85 - what would that tell you?

I'd say they were working Mike! :rofl:

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I'd say they were working Mike! :rofl:

:rofl:

 

[Khamelion]

For me, probably no difference at all. Before I got my CG16's I was using some Wilson X31 clubs, which when I loked them up were made the year before I was born, in 1968.

The main difference being the lofts, where I was using a 5 iron on the X31's I was then using a 7 iron on the CG's

 

[Foxholer]

Very little difference with the irons.

Possibly significant difference (or possibly none) with the Driver. Would depend on the Driver/shaft. I remember hitting a £5 K1 Speed better than my expensive Tour R5 w Custom shaft when I tried it! If I swing 'easier' (would probably do so) it would probably make no difference.

Putter would probably have the largest effect - unless it felt right, probably 3-4 shots.