"Just have a chat with your Pro"

[Mozza73]

I see this piece of advice time and time again, yet is it really that practical ? I'm not a member of a club as it is something that is out of my budget this stage of my life. I have a set of old Pings and I'm genuinely interested in looking into wether these clubs are helping or hindering me when I go to the range or play 9/18 holes a couple of times a month.

I'm loving the look of a few new sets (TM Burner 2.0, Rocketballz and a few others ) and am considering the jump to some newer kit but christ it's hard to get good advice. My local club pro shrugged his shoulders and suggested I book a lesson when I enquired in the Pro shop at the weekend - I suspect I'd get much more information if I gave him £25 for half an hour.

Is it really that practical to ask for advice on kit from a Pro?

 

[GreiginFife]

In short... Yes, it is.
That £25 will get an assessment of your ability in relation to the kit you are interested in.

The alternative is to go to AG or similar and speak to a "pro"* who may/may not charge you to try the kit for yourself and assess.

* The person you speak to may not actually be a pro in this case however.

 

[CMAC]

I see this piece of advice time and time again, yet is it really that practical ? I'm not a member of a club as it is something that is out of my budget this stage of my life. I have a set of old Pings and I'm genuinely interested in looking into wether these clubs are helping or hindering me when I go to the range or play 9/18 holes a couple of times a month.

I'm loving the look of a few new sets (TM Burner 2.0, Rocketballz and a few others ) and am considering the jump to some newer kit but christ it's hard to get good advice. My local club pro shrugged his shoulders and suggested I book a lesson when I enquired in the Pro shop at the weekend - I suspect I'd get much more information if I gave him £25 for half an hour.

Is it really that practical to ask for advice on kit from a Pro?

yes, most I've come across are quite happy to offer their opinion, it might end in a sale for the shop. Your local club pro doesn't sound that helpful, so try somewhere else, his loss.

 

[groundskeeperwilly]

I have no pro at my club-so not practical then folk say just speak to your pro or book a lesson so I can sympathise!

Do you feel that your current irons are holding you back? Is there any particular fault that you find with them or do you just fancy a freshen up in your bag?

 

[Khamelion]

I guess it depends on the pro. I've been lucky, in that the person who teaches me is extremely patient with me, mainly because he had the same fault as I have when he started out and he knows that I m detirmined to eradicate my faults, so he's happy to let my paid 1/2 hour lessons sometimes slide to an hour or more for no extra cost.

The club pro at Whickham was really good many times after a round he'd ask how you got on and offer advice on how to fix shots you had explained to him had gone wrong.

So yes, if you get a good patient pro who wants to help, then "just having a chat with you pro" can yield massive help.

As for your irons, they maystill be ideal for your needs, then again they could be "holding you back", but as in many cases/threads on here asking similar, see a pro, get lessons and groove a correct swing with what you have, then look to change the bag to realy reap the benefits of new clubs.

 

[Bomber69]

If in doubt just get a set of Ping's as they are the best GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS on the market, ugly looking club but most guys who struggle to hit the ball will end up with a set of these plus they will come in handy for digging up the garden:thup:

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Should I ask my pro to source a specific putter I am after rather than look to buy something of his - is that being cheeky/lazy on my part? Will he be able to get a 'better than on-line' price for me? Are pros able to source golf clubs at wholesale prices or at least less than retail price? Would I expect my pro to add a mark-up if he sourced a putter for me - even if he couldn't get it cheaper?

 

[GreiginFife]

Should I ask my pro to source a specific putter I am after rather than look to buy something of his - is that being cheeky/lazy on my part? Will he be able to get a 'better than on-line' price for me? Are pros able to source golf clubs at wholesale prices or at least less than retail price? Would I expect my pro to add a mark-up if he sourced a putter for me - even if he couldn't get it cheaper?

Was this another question or a response to the OP? I'm confused :s

 

[rickg]

You dont need to be a member to get access to a good pro and his advice. I use a pro at a nearby driving range that has an American Golf attached. There are around 6-8 N1 Golf pro's there and when not giving lessons they spend a lot of time patrolling the bays chatting to guys and girls hitting balls.

Sure, they are probably trying to drum up some business, but I overhear them all the time giving out free advice. If that advice turns out to be useful, someone might be inclined to book a lesson or two. Its all about building up a relationship and trust on both sides.......I would avoid a pro that suggested booking a lesson up front before offering any advice.

 

[CMAC]

Was this another question or a response to the OP? I'm confused :s

+1

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

+1

Sorry - it was in response to the title of the OP

 

[Mozza73]

I have no pro at my club-so not practical then folk say just speak to your pro or book a lesson so I can sympathise!

Do you feel that your current irons are holding you back? Is there any particular fault that you find with them or do you just fancy a freshen up in your bag?

I'm not sure to be honest. I returned to the game a year ago and built up a set 2nd hand, my Ping I3 O-size Irons seem fine and my distances are pretty good (I consistently hit my 7 iron around 145-150 on my local range with range balls) but they do seem a little heavy and dead off the face - also I just bought black dot standard lies as I assumed they would fit my height, but I've never been able to confirm this.

 

[groundskeeperwilly]

I'm not sure to be honest. I returned to the game a year ago and built up a set 2nd hand, my Ping I3 O-size Irons seem fine and my distances are pretty good (I consistently hit my 7 iron around 145-150 on my local range with range balls) but they do seem a little heavy and dead off the face - also I just bought black dot standard lies as I assumed they would fit my height, but I've never been able to confirm this.

Similar to you I had a while away from the game and just built up a set second hand as I got back into it. I have had quite a few sets of irons in that time too trying to find the perfect ones. I know what you mean about the 'dead' feel.

I was lucky that a local driving range had a stand full of decent clubs you can hit for free-Mizuno, Ping, Adams etc and I judged what I liked best out of them and then kept a lookout on E-bay/Gumtree for sets for sale. Obviously not ideal as like I say i have been through quite a few sets but it's one way to go!

You also sometimes see ex demo 6/7 irons on E-bay too; you could buy one of them cheaply to see how it feels if you had a set you fancied like the TM's you mentioned in the OP.

Also I know that some driving ranges etc get visits from 'Tour vans' where you can go along and try the clubs with different shafts in them to see what works best. American Golf also have their own Tour van on the road round England too-I think you can find its dates/info online and see if it calls near you.

 

[One Planer]

You dont need to be a member to get access to a good pro and his advice. I use a pro at a nearby driving range that has an American Golf attached. There are around 6-8 N1 Golf pro's there and when not giving lessons they spend a lot of time patrolling the bays chatting to guys and girls hitting balls.

Sure, they are probably trying to drum up some business, but I overhear them all the time giving out free advice. If that advice turns out to be useful, someone might be inclined to book a lesson or two. Its all about building up a relationship and trust on both sides.......I would avoid a pro that suggested booking a lesson up front before offering any advice.

+1 :thup: