New and need some advice

[super_dan79]

As I approach my 40th and after doing a few rounds with the big "C" and coming out on top, both my doctor and I agree on its time to start some gentle exercise. I have at least 4 clubs within a 10 minute drive so Golf seems the logical choice!

Having never swung a club before I'm a bit concerned about making a fool of myself though.

What would I need bare minimum to get going? Money is tight so I would prefer getting some second hand equipment but the choice really is endless. Are game improvement irons the starting point?

I'm signed on for taster sessions that starts in a few weeks weather permitting.

Any advice would be appreciated especially on equipment. (I should note on booking the taster session i was kitted out in the shop but it was coming in at just over £900 and I really don't want to pay anywhere near that!)

 

[anotherdouble]

What did the shop want you to spend £900 on to be fulled kitted out after only signing up for the taster sessions ie to see if you liked the game

 

[Grant85]

As I approach my 40th and after doing a few rounds with the big "C" and coming out on top, both my doctor and I agree on its time to start some gentle exercise. I have at least 4 clubs within a 10 minute drive so Golf seems the logical choice!

Having never swung a club before I'm a bit concerned about making a fool of myself though.

What would I need bare minimum to get going? Money is tight so I would prefer getting some second hand equipment but the choice really is endless. Are game improvement irons the starting point?

I'm signed on for taster sessions that starts in a few weeks weather permitting.

Any advice would be appreciated especially on equipment. (I should note on booking the taster session i was kitted out in the shop but it was coming in at just over £900 and I really don't want to pay anywhere near that!)

Game Improvement irons definitely the way to go. Ultimately you can play with a driver, set of irons (4 to SW) and a putter. In time you will realise about having different longer clubs, 3 or 5 wood, hybrids etc. and maybe wedges with different lofts.

And 100% go second hand. You will get some great bargains. Go to a local shop or driving range that stocks second hand gear. This will allow you to see what is in the second hand section and you can then go back and read reviews or watch YT reviews. This should hopefully put your mind at rest that just because a club is 5 or 6 years old and is only £40 or £50 - doesn't mean it isn't a good club.

As for joining a club. This is a big step. I would definitely go to the taster sessions and they should give you a decent grounding to work on.
If you are happy to pay for a years fees, then dive in - but if you have some other friends or colleagues that play then I'd maybe wait until the spring and try and get a few games with them to see if you get the bug.

Ultimately joining is going to be the most practical and cost effective way to play every week and to get games with other players (especially at the weekends).

In terms of improving, lessons are far more important than equipment. And if you can pick up some gear to get you started for next to nothing, then do that and spend the extra on some one to one lessons.

 

[Grant85]

You will probably be able to put together a decent set for less than £400. That will last you a few years and isn't totally ancient or worn out.

That would include Driver, Irons, Putter and maybe a 3 wood or Hyrbid.

Driver & 3 wood - £150
Irons - £100
Putter - £40
Bag - £50 (although buying a new bag is probably worth the investment for £99 or so)

Appreciate there is literally 20,000 different clubs out there. Maybe have a look at Ping G20 clubs or Taylor Made Burner kit. These were decent selling lines a few years ago and there will be loads of it on the second hand markets / e-bay etc.

Also Gum Tree is a good source as a lot of widows will sell of their poor old dead husband's full set, bag, trolley, balls, Pebble Beach bag tag, etc for a song.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I've been playing a while now and have renewed quite a few items in my bag over the last 12 months. Every one of them is 2nd hand, Ping G25 range which is a good few years old. Bloomin marvellous clubs, easy to hit and there will be lots more out there, from Ping, Taylormade, Callaway etc that will be better for you right now than the new clubs you were being kitted for and a fraction of the price. Don't go mad at the beginning because at this stage you don't know what you will like, which brand, which style etc. Your swing could change dramatically in 2 months time, new clubs needed .

Don't feel the need to buy 14 clubs because someone says so. Again, go for the minimum until you start ot understand what you genuinely need.

Use the likes of Ebay, Gumtree, Golf Clubs 4 cash or your local American Golf shop for its second hand section. Check out the pricing so you get a feel for what you should be paying. There are lots of places to buy 2nd hand, with luck you may even have 2nd hand shops near you where you can go in and swing a club in anger.

If you see any you fance, post them up here and people will be happy to advise if they make sense. For example, post Mizuno blades and we will all shout no. Post any from the Ping G series and you will get a mostly thumbs up.

In effect, starting out doesn't have to be expensive and is best kept to a minimum to start off with as I can almost guarantee that within a year you will want to change all that you have already bought

 

[Orikoru]

Goldbidder is a decent website to look at - their prices are not the cheapest, but even if you don't buy from them, they have a handy rating for every club and iron set saying what handicaps they are suitable for. So anything that says 0-28 on there will be good for you. Look at the Pings for example, you'll see anything with a G in the name tends to be 0-28 as they're the most forgiving: https://www.golfbidder.co.uk/clubbrand/PI/3/Ping_iron_set.html

I would say £150-200 for some good second-hand game improvement irons that aren't ancient. A driver for maybe £50-70 - but as a beginner you may opt not to try the driver to begin with. A 3 wood could be similar price, slightly less maybe. A putter, doesn't need to be a lot spent on that, just pick something that suits your eye. Second hand bag can bought on Ebay pretty cheaply.

 

[bobmac]

Ask the pro who's giving you the lessons if you can borrow a club for the sessions. Then if you don't like it, nothing lost.
If you do like it, go round your local pro shops and see what they've got. second hand wise.
Explain to the pros your situation and they should help you out.
Also, don't be too worried about being rubbish, we were all rubbish once.
Welcome to golf and the forum

 

[trevor]

When I first started out I remember my teacher saying that if you could hit the ball reasonably well it was possible to be an 18 h/c with just a 7 iron and a putter. Throw in some golf shoes and some cheap balls and you’re almost good to go. At least until you know wether you’re going to like it.

 

[patricks148]

Ask the pro who's giving you the lessons if you can borrow a club for the sessions. Then if you don't like it, nothing lost.
If you do like it, go round your local pro shops and see what they've got. second hand wise.
Explain to the pros your situation and they should help you out.
Also, don't be too worried about being rubbish, we were all rubbish once.
Welcome to golf and the forum

as Bob says have a look around local pro shops, bargains to be had. No point in spending a fortune before you really know if you like it or not.

enjoy

 

[Hogieefc]

Whereabouts are you, there maybe someone on the forum who lives near you who could take you out for a game and possibly even lend you a few clubs

 

[JayB]

I'd be amazed if they didn't have any clubs you can use for the taster session. I'd also be very wary of anyone trying to get you to commit to £900 of equipment when booking the taster session, in fact I'd make a point of never spending any money with them either now or in the future.

If you enjoy golf and decide to take it up as others have said you can pick up everything you need second hand for a relatively small outlay. If you insist on getting new equipment I'm sure there are plenty of reasonably priced starter sets available. Granted they may not be the best but for a few years it doesn't really matter.

Good luck and hope you enjoy it

 

[jim8flog]

When I first started the Pro suggested 4 irons a fairway wood and a putter (he used to sell clubs individually and you could build up the set as you went along). Did me well enough for about 6-9 months.

If you are new to the game either a very cheap starter set or 2nd hand is definitely the way to go.

 

[TreeSeeker]

When i started I just picked up a second hand set for about £30 or so off ebay, they were awful but, at least i got to learn that they were naff, it would have been a waste if i'd bought new / good second hand clubs straight away.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

First of all well done for giving the big C the brush off. Plenty of ways to get into golf. I would see if the taster sessions are going to provide clubs for you and start off by chatting with the pro teaching you. See if you like it, feel its something you want to pursue and go from there. There are bargains to be had for sure. One thing about Golfbidder, apart from them giving you a good description of the type of club and pictures of the actual clubs on the website, there is a no quibble returns policy so you can hit them and see if they are for you. First things first though, lets see if the golf bug bites

 

[williamalex1]

I've been playing a while now and have renewed quite a few items in my bag over the last 12 months. Every one of them is 2nd hand, Ping G25 range which is a good few years old. Bloomin marvellous clubs, easy to hit and there will be lots more out there, from Ping, Taylormade, Callaway etc that will be better for you right now than the new clubs you were being kitted for and a fraction of the price. Don't go mad at the beginning because at this stage you don't know what you will like, which brand, which style etc. Your swing could change dramatically in 2 months time, new clubs needed .

Don't feel the need to buy 14 clubs because someone says so. Again, go for the minimum until you start ot understand what you genuinely need.

Use the likes of Ebay, Gumtree, Golf Clubs 4 cash or your local American Golf shop for its second hand section. Check out the pricing so you get a feel for what you should be paying. There are lots of places to buy 2nd hand, with luck you may even have 2nd hand shops near you where you can go in and swing a club in anger.

If you see any you fance, post them up here and people will be happy to advise if they make sense. For example, post Mizuno blades and we will all shout no. Post any from the Ping G series and you will get a mostly thumbs up.

In effect, starting out doesn't have to be expensive and is best kept to a minimum to start off with as I can almost guarantee that within a year you will want to change all that you have already bought

Welcome to the forum mate, Lord Tyrion's advice is the best you'll get, don't spend too much, let us know BEFORE you decide to buy something, lots of good advice on here, best of luck

 

[GOLFER1994]

Not going to echo what everyone else is saying but welcome to the game and I hope you enjoy it !
In regards to clubs, ive got down to a handicap of 19 without using any club longer than a 5 iron. I bought second hand mizuno irons for £120, some wedges for £50 and had an old putter laying about. I had no issues whatsoever. Its only now i have thrown the driver back in and purchased a couple of hybrids. Take it easy and enjoy it, I love an equipment chat as do a few others so feel free to stick a post up and we'll all stick our two pence in

Just watch out for Crow. He'll be trying to set you up with a set of hickory clubs...

 

[Bit of rough]

To begin with, you could probably just get by with a seven iron, then 8, 9, pitching wedge, sand wedge, putter. Until you're swinging pretty well for a beginner, the longer irons will be too tough to hit well, and the hybrids, woods and drivers will run the risk of going further sideways than forwards. Spectacular and often entertaining, of course.

Seriously though, when you're starting out, there's an awful lot to be said for hitting nothing longer than a seven or eight iron, 130-140 yards at a time. That will still get you to most greens with two shots left to get a bogey.

I'd urge you to do those lessons and focus on the basics, hard. As someone trying to get better in their mid-40's after decades of mostly hacking, habits are hard to overturn. The better your grounding, the easier the game will be, and the better set up you'll be for the longer term. I've posted it elsewhere today, but the mytpi.com website has hundreds of swing drills, all of which will help you towards sound fundamentals from the start.

Flexibility helps too. Get stretching bits you didn't even know you had.

And a decent attitude will help you enormously. It may be horribly patronising for me to suggest that you've had some experiences that could give you valuable perspective on what actually matters.... golf is just a game, and it's a game that is impossible to play perfectly. Nobody is 100% happy with a round, ever. It's always three steps forwards, two back (or six forward, five back, or twenty forward, nineteen back). But there's something about the process of getting better, the mental and physical challenge, the courses and the company. And in all but the very worst rounds, you'll always hit at least one shot with such a pleasing result that you'll think any golfer in the world, Justin Rose down, would be happy to accept the shot you just hit. Somewhere in there, there's deep satisfaction to be had. Good luck!

 

[Fabia999]

When I first started, I bought a Driver, 5 and 7 iron, PW and a putter. all Slazenger at Sports Direct. Value for money, possibly the best clubs as they cost very little.

I used this as the foundations. Bought a second hand, more lofty driver (which i still have) to help me (£50) and a second hand 5 wood (£22) to help me on those long par 5s.

I have been lucky as I was gifted a better putter by a friend.

I have also used GolfBidder. Prices seem fair. Condition was very nice, even though it was described as an 8, I couldn't find more than one scratch on it. I think try before you buy is very important in golf. Therefore, I'd see if it was possible to try out at a local shop and then shop around once you know you like the club.

 

[Scozzy]

eBay, gumtree or local charity shop and you are good to go for anything from 20-100£ ,7iron wedge ,5 wood and putter,job done,if you don't like it chuck them/resell if you get the bug like the rest of us, fill your boots with whatever takes your fancy, the choice, style and budgets are endless

 

[NM1]

Golfbidder is good but a bit expensive. PGA Pro's sell alot on ebay and often it is brand new but one model older, bargains and deals to be had. Good luck with your new Golf career